Peer-reviewed articles 17,970 +


Title: THE EFFECT OF TRAIL PATHS IN GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEMS USING A SWOT-AHP HYBRID METHOD
THE EFFECT OF TRAIL PATHS IN GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEMS USING A SWOT-AHP HYBRID METHOD

PlumX Article Metrics by Elsevier
Aimilia Lempesi; Christodoulos Daoutis
10.5593/sgem2024/3.1/s14.49
10.5593/sgem2024/3.1
1314-2704
978-619-7603-70-5
English
24
3.1
•    Prof. DSc. Oleksandr Trofymchuk, UKRAINE 
•    Prof. Dr. hab. oec. Baiba Rivza, LATVIA
Forest Ecosystems
In recent years, the use of trail paths for recreation and tourism has seen remarkable growth in many countries. Trail paths have several benefits for the local community, people's physical and mental health, and for offsetting degraded grassland ecosystems. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of trail paths on grassland ecosystems in the Prefecture of Xanthi in northern Greece. The SWOT-AHP hybrid method was used. The criteria of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) method were recorded based on the literature review. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method, and the criteria were compared pairwise. The study found that the Strengths group occupied the largest percentage (40.3%), immediately after the Weaknesses group occupied 26.7%, followed by the Opportunities group at 21.0% and the Threats group which had the smallest percentage (12.0%). The results also showed that in the comparisons of the Strengths group, the largest percentage (43.4%) held the (Increase biodiversity along trail paths) criterion. In the comparisons of the Weaknesses group, it was observed that the (The construction and use of trail paths cause soil erosion and compaction) criterion gathered a large percentage of 39.6%. In the comparisons of the Opportunities group, the largest percentage (41.1%) held the (Trail paths can be used as a passage for rescuers) criterion and (Visiting the trail paths can increase the risk of fire) criterion from the comparisons of the Threats group was the biggest threat with a percentage that exceeds 50.0%.
[1] Tomczyk A. M., Ewertowski M. W., White P. C. L., Kasprzak L., A new framework for prioritising decisions on recreational trail management, Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 167, pp 1-13, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.05.009
[2] Kaczynski A. T., Henderson K. A., Environmental correlates of physical activity: A review of evidence about parks and recreation, Leisure Sciences, vol. 29/issue 4, pp 315-354, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400701394865
[3] Maria Raya J., Martinez-Garcia E., Celma D., Economic and social yield of investing in hiking tourism: The case of Bergueda, Spain, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, vol. 35/issue 2, pp 148-161, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1350252
[4] Gonzalez-Olabarria J. R., Mola-Yudego B., Coll L., Different factors for different causes: analysis of the spatial aggregations of fire ignitions in Catalonia (Spain), Risk analysis, vol. 35/issue 7, pp 1197-1209, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12339
[5] Kolodziejczyk K., Networks of hiking tourist trails in the Krkonose (Czech Republic) and Peneda-Geres (Portugal) national parks—comparative analysis, Journal of Mountain Science, vol. 16/issue 4, pp 725-743, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5228-3
[6] Ciesa M., Grigolato S., Cavalli R., Analysis on vehicle and walking speeds of search and rescue ground crews in mountainous areas, Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, vol. 5-6, pp 48-57, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2014.03.004
[7] Jolivet A., MacDougald A. C., Graae B. J., Klanderud K., Wedegartner R. E. M., Sticking to the trail: Seed rain, seed bank and seedling density are elevated along hiking trails in the scandes mountains, Journal of Vegetation Science, vol. 33/issue 4, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13144
[8] Potito A. P., Beatty S. W., Impacts of recreation trails on exotic and ruderal species distribution in grassland areas along the Colorado front range, Environmental Management, vol. 36/issue 2, pp 230-236, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-003-0177-0
[9] Suarez-Esteban A., Fahrig L., Delibes M., Fedriani J. M., Can anthropogenic linear gaps increase plant abundance and diversity?, Landscape Ecology, vol. 31, pp 721-729, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0329-7
[10] Klug B., Scharfetter-Lehrl G., Scharfetter E., Effects of trampling on vegetation above the timberline in the eastern alps, Austria, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, vol. 34/issue 4, pp 377-388, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2002.12003508
[11] Jagerbrand A. K., Alatalo J. M., Effects of human trampling on abundance and diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in alpine heath vegetation, northern Sweden, SpringerPlus, vol. 4/issue 1, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-015-0876-z
[12] Sinclair A., Catling P. M., Ontario goldenseal, hydrastis canadensis, populations in relation to habitat size, paths, and woodland edges, Canadian Field-Naturalist, vol. 114/issue 4, pp 652-655, 2000. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.364034
[13] Ballantyne M., Pickering C. M., Tourism and recreation: A common threat to IUCN red-listed vascular plants in Europe, Biodiversity and Conservation, vol. 22/issue 13-14, pp 3027-3044, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0569-2
[14] McDougall K. L., Wright G. T., The impact of trampling on feldmark vegetation in Kosciuszko national park, Australia, Australian Journal of Botany, vol. 52/issue 3, pp 315-320, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT03145
[15] Pelfini M., Santilli M., Dendrogeomorphological analyses on exposed roots along two mountain hiking trails in the central Italian alps, Geografiska Annaler, Series A: Physical Geography, vol. 88/issue 3, pp 223-236, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0459.2006.00297.x
[16] Kostrakiewicz-Gieralt K., Pliszko A., Gmyrek-Golab K., The effect of visitors on the properties of vegetation of calcareous grasslands in the context of width and distances from tourist trails, Sustainability (Switzerland), vol. 12/issue 2, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020454
[17] Wolf I. D., Croft D. B., Impacts of tourism hotspots on vegetation communities show a higher potential for self-propagation along roads than hiking trails, Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 143, pp 173-185, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.04.006
[18] Leung Y. F., Newburger T., Jones M., Kuhn B., Woiderski B., Developing a monitoring protocol for visitor-created informal trails in Yosemite national park, USA, Environmental Management, vol. 47/issue 1, pp 93-106, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9581-4
[19] Nemec K. T., Allen C. R., Alai A., Clements G., Kessler A. C., Kinsell T., Major A., Stephen B. J., Woody invasions of urban trails and the changing face of urban forests in the great plains, USA, American Midland Naturalist, vol. 165/issue 2, pp 241-256, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-165.2.241
[20] Kurttila M., Pesonen M., Kangas J., Kajanus M., Utilizing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in SWOT analysis—a hybrid method and its application to a forest-certification case, Forest policy and economics, vol. 1/issue 1, pp 41-52, 2000. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1389-9341(99)00004-0
[21] Saaty, R. W., The analytic hierarchy process—what it is and how it is used, Mathematical modelling, vol. 9/issue 3-5, pp 161-176, 1987. https://doi.org/10.1016/0270-0255(87)90473-8
conference
https://doi.org/10.5593/sgem2024/3.1/s14.49
Download PDF
Proceedings of 24th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2024
24th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2024, 1 - 07 July, 2024
Proceedings Paper
STEF92 Technology
International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference Surveying Geology and Mining Ecology Management, SGEM
SWS Scholarly Society; Acad Sci Czech Republ; Latvian Acad Sci; Polish Acad Sci; Russian Acad Sci; Serbian Acad Sci and Arts; Natl Acad Sci Ukraine; Natl Acad Sci Armenia; Sci Council Japan; European Acad Sci, Arts and Letters; Acad Fine Arts Zagreb Croatia; Croatian Acad Sci and Arts; Acad Sci Moldova; Montenegrin Acad Sci and Arts; Georgian Acad Sci; Acad Fine Arts and Design Bratislava; Russian Acad Arts; Turkish Acad Sci.
417-424
1 - 07 July, 2024
website
9716
trail paths, grasslands, recreation, SWOT-AHP

24th SGEM International Conference on Earth & Planetary Sciences


International GeoConference SGEM2024
28 June - 8 July, 2024 / Albena, Bulgaria

Read More		   

SGEM Vienna GREEN "Green Science for Green Life"


Extended Scientific Sessions SGEM Vienna GREEN
25 - 29 November, 2024 / Vienna, Austria

Read More
   

A scientific platform for Art-Inspired Scientists!


The Magical World Where Science meets Art
Vienna, Austria

Read More