Land system units can contribute to sustainable solutions by an integrated analysis of land availability and the assessment of the tradeoffs associated with any activity Including Ecotourism and land use intensification. Land systems should be designed so that are adapted to the local context and framed within the global socio-ecological system. Tourism activities are one of the human activities that can generally create various negative impacts on the surrounding environment. Ecotourism is a new concept in the tourism industry. Cultural and natural potential of arid lands for ecotourism is well established. The study is based on data related to environmental and natural features of the land (land system) and ecotourism suitability data. Land data were a set of criteria and indicators including physiography, geology (lithology), pedology and vegetation cover. Based on this study, 29 land system units were identified in the area. Finally, according to the characteristics of each unit of the land system, the priorities of the units were evaluated for the suitability of ecotourism. Land system integrated approach may have many practical applications in landscape management, monitoring and planning for the development of tourism facilities and ecotourism resource utilization.
Land system, Ecotourism, environmental features, integrated approach, pedology, homogeneous units
Cite this paper
Naser Mashhadi. (2021) Land systems planning for Sustainable Ecotourism (case study: Kerman - Iran). International Journal of Tourism, 6, 11-15