Weighting indicators of tourism sustainability: A critical note

Indicator weighting is an important issue in the measurement of tourism sustainability. Its importance derives from the fact that weights can have a significant effect on the rankings of analysed regions and subsequent policymaking. This is because relative indicator weights may significantly differ depending on the chosen weighting procedure. Relevant studies have however not paid particular attention to this issue so far, which is a gap this note aims to fill. An illustrative comparison of indicator weights from available studies further indicates potentially serious problems with some commonly used weighting procedures.     

旅游生态学研究进展

作为生态学和旅游学相交叉的一门新兴分支学科,旅游生态学关注旅游发展中的生态环境问题,以生态学原理指导旅游生态系统管理,是促进旅游业可持续发展的重要理论支撑。论文采用引文可视化分析软件CiteSpace5.3和文献阅读相结合的方法分析旅游生态学研究的国际进展。分析发现,文献数量在进入21世纪后快速增长,文献来源地集中在北美和欧洲国家,研究方法呈现多学科综合性和最新科学技术成果应用及时等特点,研究内容主要集中在旅游活动的生态环境影响、旅游生态系统管理和旅游可持续发展的测度及实现途径3个方面。基于国际进展的分析,论文最后提出我国旅游生态学研究应在学科的基础理论、旅游影响的系统性和持续性、旅游生态修复、旅游开发活动的生态环境影响、生态环境变化对旅游业发展的影响和本土性旅游生态系统管理方法等方面加强。     

国内涉及非圈养猕猴的旅游区现状调查

猕猴（Macaca mulatta）是自然分布最广泛的非人灵长类,因其行为多样且表情丰富,不仅是动物园和野生动物园等处常见的观赏动物,亦是诸多旅游区的重要观赏资源。近年来,国内不时有引入猕猴开展旅游活动的相关新闻报道,但猕猴相关旅游现状尚不清楚。本研究以“猕猴”和“旅游”“景区”“保护区”及“森林公园”等为关键词,利用“百度”搜索引擎进行检索,检索时间设为2000年1月至2021年10月,提取包括猕猴观赏地的行政区域、类别、猕猴来源和状态、引入猕猴年份和数量等信息,旨在了解国内猕猴观赏旅游现状,为猕猴资源保护与管理提供依据。结果表明：1）共检索到164处猕猴观赏区,分布于全国20个省级行政区,冠以“景区”“森林公园”“保护区”和“旅游区”的地区分别有97、36、20和11处;2）猕猴自然分布的观赏区有105处,明确为引入猕猴的有53处,而来源不详的有6处,其中,北京、山东、江苏及河北的23处观赏区内猕猴均为人为引入;3）20世纪80和90年代便有地区开始引入猕猴,2005年至2010年引入猕猴的观赏区最多,达16处;4）在已知的引入猕猴观赏区中,仅13处有明确的猴源输出地,其中包括3处引自猕猴来源较复杂的河南新野猕猴繁殖场。本研究提示,国内猕猴观赏活动在一定程度上改变了猕猴的自然分布格局。建议野生动物管理部门对涉及猕猴观赏项目建立分级审批制度,尤其是针对引入猕猴开展旅游活动的项目应先开展生态安全评估。     

基于四象限模型的生态系统服务与人类活动强度关联性分析--以皖南国际旅游文化示范区为例

运用空间热点分析定量分析了生态系统服务在不同尺度上的空间分异特征,基于四象限模型对生态质量进行评价,并采用地理探测器探讨影响其空间分异的主要驱动因素。结果表明:(1)生态系统服务价值(Ecosystem Service Value,ESV)存在显著的空间异质性,分布格局呈现空间自相关性,冷热点分布具有明显尺度效应。(2)示范区人类活动强度与ESV耦合程度基本协调一致,生态质量总体状况较好。人类活动强度与ESV耦合程度因研究尺度不同而存在一定差异。(3)各探测因子的解释力在县域和乡镇尺度上存在显著差异,社会经济驱动因素在县域尺度上解释力大于乡镇尺度。各驱动因子之间存在明显的协同增强效应,双因子交互作用增强了对ESV空间分异的解释力。     

Modeling socio-economic aspects of ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation

For successful ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation, in addition to ecological and evolutionary processes, we need to consider social and economic influences on the management target. Here, we introduce several theoretical models that address economic and social aspects of the human society which are closely related to ecosystem management. The first model analyzes economic decisions on the use of the common fishing ground in Jeju Island, Korea, by traditional divers and tourists. We observe that the way the number of tourists increases with the availability of resources strongly influences how benefits are distributed among fishing ground stakeholders. The second model discusses activities that raise public awareness about biodiversity, which will help maintain public support for conservation in the future. Based on control theory, we derive the optimal investment in these activities to maximize the long-term quality of the conservation target. The third model analyzes punishment scheme as a mechanism to enforce people to follow the regulation on the use of common resource. An important aspect of successful management is “graduated punishment”, in which the severity of the punishment applied to deviators gradually increases with the amount of harm caused by deviation from the rule. We show that graduated punishment is the most efficient way to ensure cooperation when evaluation errors are unavoidable and when people are heterogeneous with respect to the sensitivity to utility differences. We conclude that socio-economic aspects related to ecosystem management are promising research foci of theoretical ecology.     

EFFECT OF TOURISM ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF LARVAL BLACKFLIES (DIPTERA: SIMULIUM) IN PALNI HILLS OF SOUTH INDIA

The effect of tourism on the distribution of larval blackflies during three different seasons of Palni hills was investigated.Six streams were selected(Kumbakkarai,Moolayar,Kurusedi,Silver cascade Pampar and Guntar) for this study,of which,three streams(Silver cascade Pampar and Guntar) were in peak of Palni hills(Kodaikanal town areas) and easy access to the tourists.The remaining three streams(Kumbakkarai,Moolayar and Kurusedi) were in downhill areas.The physico-chemical and stream parameters analyses indicated that the most tourist accessible site of Silver cas-cade stream had poor water quality and the predominant of larval blackfly population when compared to other sampling streams.The highest population of larval blackflies was observed during winter followed by summer and northeast monsoon.Since the effect of tourism causes pollution to streams,which in turn to promote the population of blackfly larvae and affect the other insect community in streams.     

Tourism climate and thermal comfort in Sun Moon Lake,Taiwan

Bioclimate conditions at Sun Moon Lake, one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist destinations, are presented. Existing tourism-related climate is typically based on mean monthly conditions of air temperature and precipitation and excludes the thermal perception of tourists. This study presents a relatively more detailed analysis of tourism climate by using a modified thermal comfort range for both Taiwan and Western/Middle European conditions, presented by frequency analysis of 10-day intervals. Furthermore, an integrated approach (climate tourism information scheme) is applied to present the frequencies of each facet under particular criteria for each 10-day interval, generating a time-series of climate data with temporal resolution for tourists and tourism authorities.     

A second generation climate index for tourism (CIT): specification and verification

Climate is a key resource for many types of tourism and as such can be measured and evaluated. An index approach is required for this task because of the multifaceted nature of weather and the complex ways that weather variables come together to give meaning to climate for tourism. Here we address the deficiencies of past indices by devising a theoretically sound and empirically tested method that integrates the various facets of climate and weather into a single index called the Climate Index for Tourism (CIT). CIT rates the climate resource for activities that are highly climate/weather sensitive, specifically, beach “sun, sea and sand” (3S) holidays. CIT integrates thermal (T), aesthetic (A) and physical (P) facets of weather, which are combined in a weather typology matrix to determine a climate satisfaction rating that ranges from very poor (1 = unacceptable) to very good (7 = optimal). Parameter A refers to sky condition and P to rain or high wind. T is the body-atmosphere energy balance that integrates the environmental and physiological thermal variables, such as solar heat load, heat loss by convection (wind) and by evaporation (sweating), longwave radiation exchange and metabolic heat (activity level). Rather than use T as a net energy (calorific) value, CIT requires that it be expressed as thermal sensation using the standard nine-point ASHRAE scale (“very hot” to “very cold”). In this way, any of the several body-atmosphere energy balance schemes available may be used, maximizing the flexibility of the index. A survey (N = 331) was used to validate the initial CIT. Respondents were asked to rate nine thermal states (T) with different sky conditions (A). They were also asked to assess the impact of high winds or prolonged rain on the perceived quality of the overall weather condition. The data was analysed statistically to complete the weather typology matrix, which covered every possible combination of T, A and P. Conditions considered to be optimal (CIT class 6–7) for 3S tourism were those that were “slightly warm” with clear skies or scattered cloud (≤25% cloud). Acceptable conditions (CIT = 4–5) fell within the thermal range “indifferent” to “hot” even when the sky was overcast. Wind equal to or in excess of 6 m/s (22 km/h) or rain resulted in the CIT rating dropping to 1 or 2 (unacceptable) and was thus an override of pleasant thermal conditions. Further cross-cultural research is underway to examine whether climate preferences vary with different social and cultural tourist segments internationally.     

陕西青木川国家级自然保护区脊椎动物 物种多样性现状和保护成效

野生动物资源本底是自然保护区开展生物多样性有效管理的基础。为了掌握脊椎动物资源现状和评估保护成效,在2017和2018年,利用样线法和红外相机陷阱法等方法,对陕西青木川国家级自然保护区脊椎动物资源进行了实地调查,并采用专家打分法对该保护区保护成效进行赋值评估。结果表明：（1）青木川自然保护区现已记录野生脊椎动物342种,隶属5纲32目91科233属,其中,国家I级、II级重点保护野生动物分别为10种和41种;与2002年保护区建立初期相比,增加了4目9科46属83种,其中,鸟类物种数增加最多,达55种,两栖类仅增加1种。（2）青木川镇游客总量从2009年的5万余人次/年,发展到2017年的162万人次/年,保护区外围的旅游开发对该保护区脊椎动物及栖息地均有一定的潜在影响。（3）过去30年内土地利用模式变化明显,2001年未建立保护区时,该区域农业用地面积约占总面积的33%,建立保护区后至2018年,农业用地仅占保护区总面积的1%,使得区域内脊椎动物的栖息地面积显著增加。（4）保护区的保护成效显著,主要干扰因素发生变化,表现为保护区脊椎动物物种总数明显增加,栖息地适宜性和区域完整性显著增强,主要干扰因素类型已由早期的农林牧渔活动转变为现在的外围旅游开发。     

Lake macroinvertebrate assemblages and relationship with natural environment and tourism stress in Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve,China

With increasing human population and urbanization, tourism in natural reserves and other protected lands is growing. It is critical to monitor and assess the impacts of tourism on ecosystem health. However, there is a general lack of information on biological communities in natural reserves of developing countries and of tools for assessing human impacts. In the present study, we investigated macroinvertebrate assemblages in nine lakes in Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve of China. Both benthic (20 dips of D-net) and light-trap samples (2 h) were collected at each lake and all benthic specimens and adults of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) were identified and counted. Water temperature and water quality variables were measured on site or in the Lab. Seventy taxa were recorded and dominated by dipterans and caddisflies. Light traps contributed 47% of taxa richness and 66% of EPT richness at the lakes. Detrended Correspondence Analysis showed that water temperature and tourism index were strongly associated with the changes of assemblage composition. Taxa richness and EPT richness calculated for the composite samples (benthic + light trap) were well fit with Poisson generalized linear model (adjusted R² = 0.83 and 0.85, respectively), generally decreasing with increasing elevation, tourism index, and total-N. Tourism index was ranked as the top predictor for EPT richness based on multiple model weights, and elevation for taxa richness. In comparison, when based on benthic samples, neither of the metrics could be fitted with the seven environmental variables selected. These findings highlight the benefit of combined use of the sampling methods for lake monitoring and offered an analytical guide to developing biological indicators of lake ecosystem health in protected areas.