Research On Tourism Footprints And Environmental Carrying Capacity Of Baiyangdian Scenic Spot

Wetland,known as the"kidney of the earth"is not only one of the three major ecosystems on the earth and has important ecological regulation function,but also plays an important role in the local social and economic development.In recent years,with the rapid development of tourism,wetland tourism has been favored by people.However,due to over-exploitation of wetland resources and over-emphasis on the economic benefits of scenic spots and neglect of its ecological benefits,many wetland scenic spots have been seriously disturbed and destroyed.The prospect of wetland tourism is not optimistic.In recent years,resources protection and tourism development of wetland scenic spots have become one of the hotspots in the relative research fields.How to balance the relationship between ecological protection and tourism economic output?Is the number of tourist reception reasonable?They are all scientific problems worthy of further study.Baiyangdian is the largest freshwater wetland in North China.The over-exploitation of tourism resources has brought great economic benefits.However,the ecological environment of the wetland has been destroyed to a certain extent.At the same time,the ecological function of Baiyangdian is declining with insufficient water source,unstable water level,serious pollution of water body and frequent phenomenon of dry lake.Presently,the development and construction of Xiong’an New Area has brought new historical developing opportunities for Baiyangdian.It is imperative to promote the sustainable development of tourism in Baiyangdian.Therefore,taking Baiyangdian as the study area,this study comprehensively discussed the sustainability of tourism development in Baiyangdian based on the theories and methods of ecological footprint,carbon footprint and water footprint.The results of this study can provide decision-making basis for making reasonable tourism planning in Baiyangdian and provide reference for tourism management in other wetland scenic spots.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)According to the questionnaire survey data and Baiyangdian tourism statistical data,the carbon footprint,water footprint and ecological footprint of Baiyangdian are calculated.The results showed that,the total tourism carbon footprint(TCF)of Baiyangdian scenic spot in 2016 was approximately 1.73×10~4 hm~2,in which the carbon footprint of tourism transportation and accommodation accounted for major parts of the total TCF,respectively.The per capita TCF of tourists was much higher than the world average level.The total amount of tourism water footprint(TWF)is0.40×10~4 hm~2 in 2016,of which 76.42%is tourism catering water footprint,and the intensity of TWF is lower than that of Hebei province.The total tourism ecological footprint(TEF)of Baiyangdian reached 4.76×10~4 hm~2 in 2016,in which the tourism traffic ecological footprint,the tourism freshwater resource ecological footprint and the tourism accommodation ecological footprint accounted for the major TEFs.(2)The TEF in Baiyangdian exceeded its tourism ecological carrying capacity,which expressed an ecological deficit.However,the carbon carrying capacity is larger than its TCF and the water resources carrying capacity is also larger than its TWF.Therefore,the TEF is the key factor to restrict the sustainable development of the tourism in Baiyangdian.Then,the dematel method was used to analyze the influencing factors of tourism development in Baiyangdian.The results showed that the most important factors affecting the sustainable development of Baiyangdian were the number of tourists,the size of scenic hotels,the tourists staying time and the mode of tourists’travel.Scenario analysis showed that if the number of tourists decrease by 15%,the tourism ecological footprint of Baiyangdian will be equal to its tourism ecological carrying capacity;if the hotel scale of Baiyangdian reduce by 10%,the tourism ecological footprint of Baiyangdian scenic spot will reduce 2.5%,the tourism carbon footprint will reduced 3.6%,and the tourism water footprint will reduce 0.9%;If the staying time reduce by 1/3,the tourism ecological footprint will reduce 15%,the carbon footprint will reduce 21%and the water footprint will reduce 32%;if 90%tourists travel by bus,the TEF will reduce 25%and the TCF will reduce 27%;if 90%tourists travel by private car,the TEF will increase approximately 24%,and TCF will increase approximately 27%.(3)The suitable size of tourism reception in Baiyangdian was discussed based on scenario analysis.And we found the reasonable tourist reception of Baiyangdian is approximately 2-2.1 million each year,the average stay time of the tourists is less than36 hours,and 45%～60%tourists travel by bus,which can ensure the tourism sustainable development.Finally,several suggestions were put forward to promote the sustainable development for Baiyangdian,i.e.,strengthening the management of scenic spot and controlling the scale of tourism development;low-carbon travel to reduce tourism carbon emissions;saving water and improving the utilization efficiency of tourism water resources;advocating healthy diet and proper accommodation for tourists;improving the c tourism environmental carrying capacity by a series of restoration and protection work;and putting forward initiatives to promote the healthy development of tourism.