Management of Recreational Impacts on Landscapes of Olkhon Island

Abstract

An ecological and tourist zoning of Olkhon Island, one of the most attractive and visited areas of Pribaikalskii National Park, has been carried out. It was found that exceedance of the recreational load on the island’s natural complexes leads to their degradation. This dictates the need to develop scientifically based recommendations for managing recreational impacts on natural landscapes. A map of the landscape structure of the study area has been compiled. As a result, seven zones were identified, which combine ten types of natural landscapes of Olkhon Island. Types of recreational activities were recommended for each ecological and tourist zone. The ecological and tourist zones were categorized into three groups according to the level of environmental restrictions. The most stringent environmental restrictions are specific to the first group of ecological and tourist zones, which include an area of relict spruce forest on Mount Zhima and the landscapes of high fault-line slopes of the eastern coast of Olkhon. Limited educational tourism is recommended for the first group. Strict environmental limitations are foreseen for three ecological and tourist zones of the second group represented by the landscapes of the northern part of the island, the coast of the Maloe More and of the transition zone between forest and steppe. The recreational resources of these ecological and tourist zones allow for development of various types of tourism. The coast of Maloe More of Olkhon is characterized by the greatest economic and recreational development. Therefore, rational tourism management is the most acute problem there. General, less strict, environmental restrictions are recommended for the ecological and tourist zones of the third group. The landscapes of these zones are most characteristic for the island and occupy vast areas. They include mountain light coniferous forests and steppes typical for Olkhon and Priolkhonie. For the ecological and tourist zones of the third group, it is appropriate to develop active types of tourism. The ecological and tourist zoning of Olkhon Island is treated as a powerful tool of managing recreational impacts on landscapes that permits the issues related to rational use and protection of natural resources to be addressed in a coherent manner in the process of tourism development.