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oa Assessment of Cultural Ecosystem Services of Protected Areas for the Purpose of Their Monitoring
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 17th International Conference Monitoring of Geological Processes and Ecological Condition of the Environment, Nov 2023, Volume 2023, p.1 - 5
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cultural ecosystem services of the Kremenetski Hory National Nature Park (NNP) and to substantiate the feasibility of changing the spatial distribution of functional zones of its territory. The Travel Cost Method was used to assess the tourist and recreational value, while the Conditional Value Method was used to assess the aesthetic heritage value. The flaws revealed during the research prompted some improvements to the existing calculation methodology. The calculated value of tourist and recreational ecosystem services of the Kremenetski Hory NNP amounts to $721,217.32 per year. The value of the Park’s aesthetic heritage is $156,713.89 per year. The obtained results indicate a sufficiently high quality of cultural ecosystem services provided by the National Park, therefore such assessment should be conducted regularly for the purposes of their monitoring. Numerous environmental conflicts were identified within the studied protected area, the majority of which are a consequence of imperfectly defined functional zones. Improving the functional zoning of the Kremenetski Hory NNP in accordance with our proposed scheme will contribute to minimizing environmental conflicts and preventing further degradation of the ecosystem services within the studied area. The assessment of ecosystem services aims to persuade society of the necessity to preserve ecosystems in order to continue obtaining essential benefits (services) from them.