Using of the methods of landscape research in determining allowable recreational pressure

Abstract

The development of tourism, as one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy, entails an increase in the recreational pressure on the visited territories. The research of modern landscapes shows that their use for recreational purposes can lead not only to significant negative changes in individual components, but also to fundamental disturbances and degradation of landscapes in general. In this connection, the systematic monitoring of the recreational pressure, the search for its optimal values, which do not entail the degradation of the landscape, is of particular relevance. Research of the recreational capacity of landscapes was started as far back as the twentieth century. Over the past decades, the standards of recreational pressure for the most common types of landscapes have been defined. Based on the developed methods of assessing the degree of recreational landscape digression, measures to improve the landscape have been proposed. It has been established that the increase in the economic effect from the development of tourism and recreation is possible on the basis of landscape and recreational analysis, which takes into account the individual characteristics of the territory when determining the permissible recreational pressure. The article briefly describes the main groups of landscape research methods used in determining the permissible recreational pressure on the landscape. The most important parameter on which the researchers rely when they calculate the permissible recreational pressure on the landscape is the density of the recreational pressure. During research of the density of recreational pressure, some traditional methods of researching landscapes are applicable, for example, conducting reconnaissance routes. The analysis of approaches to the definition of permissible recreational pressure on the landscape is spent, a brief algorithm for conducting landscape research at the local level is given, and the example of creating the appropriate landscape maps is given. The article presents the results of landscape researches, conducted on the territory of the Vorotynsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The analysis shows that sustainable development of tourism and recreation can be based on the results of extensive research, including the establishment of landscape features of the territory and the determination of optimal types of recreational activities and the degree of its intensity for each natural-territorial complex.