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Abstract |
The issue of sustainability of protected areas has been, up to twenty years ago, on the margins of scientific research due to common perception that the protected natural areas are sustainable by their very existence. Tourism in general, including tourism in protected areas, which often has a prefix eco, inevitably changes and disturbs state of the environment by its existence in a certain area. The main impact of tourism is created by attracting tourists and their concentration on specific particularly attractive area, which brings consequences that signify the usual environmental pressures, such as: waste, wastewater, traffic and others (Growcock, Pickering, 2011). Infrastructure required for tourist activity irreversibly alters the natural, and social environments. Contact with tourism affects the way of life of the local population, socio-cultural identity and brings new structure of the local economy, which substituted the traditional activities. Accordingly, the question arises is tourism in the protected areas possibility or a challenge, at a time when modern trends of world tourism indicate growing interest in protected areas, which not only favours the development of a relatively undeveloped areas, but also generate considerable economic benefits (Dowling et al., 2013). Therefore, this paper examines the issues of sustainable development and management policies on the example of selected natural areas in the world. |
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