산촌지역 생태관광 활성화를 위한 '걷는길'의 생태관광 지속가능성 평가

Abstract

The popularization of nature trails took place when Jeju Olle-gil and Jiri Mountain Dulegil were built by the private sector in 2007. The Jiri Mountain Dulegil, which introduced the concept of eco-tourism for the first time has greatly contributed to the revitalization of the community and the economy. Since then, a government-led nature trails were built and as many as 389 nature trails were built across the country in 2010 to 2012. The nature trails built without considering the elements of connectivity between most local residents and visitors, and has caused problems such as budget waste and lack of security for visitors. The plan to vitalize ecotourism should be implemented to meet the purpose of ecotourism, such as minimizing damage to the natural environment, participation of local residents in self-reliance, revitalizing the local economy through it and improving the quality of life of local residents, and increased awareness of ecotourism for visitors. In order for nature trails to play such a role and ensure continuity, an evaluation system for sustainable use and management is necessary. There have also been efforts to maintain the sustainability of ecotourism by developing an ecotourism certification system and ecological tourism indicators, but no specific indicators have been prepared to assess the sustainability of nature trails despite being an important element of ecotourism. In this study, the 'Ecotourism Area Designation Criteria' proposed by the Ministry of Environment was applied to assess the sustainability of nature trails. As a result, the highest-rated areas were well linked to village income and trails, and the organizer of the trail was supporting all the operating expenses. In addition, the indicators of 'Ecotourism Area Designation Criteria' were difficult to assess from the construction of nature trails to the stage of operation, such as selecting a hub village, linking public transportation to hub villages, financial support for the operation and maintenance of nature trails, revitalization and education, formation of community consultative bodies. And so after the construction of nature trails, it is necessary to create a 'sustainability evaluation' standard that includes specific evaluation items for monitoring ecosystems in sensitive areas.