Investigating the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of ecotourism in summer rangelands in the East of Mazandaran province

Rastegar, Shafagh; Shafiee, Fatemeh

doi:10.22092/ijrdr.2025.133486

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Associate professor, Rangelnad Management Department, Natural Resources Faculty, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University. Sari, Iran

10.22092/ijrdr.2025.133486

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Ecotourism represents a sustainable income source for rangelands beyond traditional livestock grazing, potentially reducing pressure on these ecosystems by diversifying local livelihoods. While offering economic opportunities and environmental protection benefits, ecotourism development must balance socioeconomic and ecological considerations. This study evaluates the multidimensional impacts of ecotourism on local communities in Mazandaran province's summer rangelands, focusing on sustainability across economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
Methodology
The study area comprised 120 Range Sites (RS) and 40 villages, with 12 high-tourism RS selected from Paband, Kelia, Sarkh Griveh, Yanesar, and Sankruj villages based on their natural/cultural attractions. Data collection involved validated questionnaires (Cronbach's α = 0.82), interviews, and field observations. The questionnaire assessed nine social, seven economic, and eight environmental impact statements. Statistical analyses included Descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, SD), Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality, Friedman test for item ranking, Spearman/Kendall Tau-b tests for correlations, Regression and path analysis (SPSS v26) to model relationships between ecotourism impacts (independent variables) and sustainable livelihoods (dependent variable).
Results
Path analysis revealed that economic factors exerted the strongest direct influence on livelihood sustainability (β=0.385), primarily through income generation (25-30% increases) and seasonal employment creation (15-20 jobs/village), while social factors demonstrated both direct (β=0.106) and indirect economic-mediated effects (β=0.120), significantly improving quality of life (65% of respondents) and cultural preservation. Environmental awareness showed a positive but limited impact (β=0.072), with 55% of locals reporting increased ecological knowledge, though infrastructure development displayed the weakest correlation (r=0.12). Individual characteristics (education, residency) emerged as significant moderators (p<0.01), collectively explaining 69% of livelihood sustainability variance (R²=0.69), whereas ecotourism's effect on migration reduction remained marginal (5% decrease) due to persistent infrastructure gaps (only 30% village adequacy) and awareness deficiencies (40% knowledge gaps).
Conclusion
While ecotourism enhanced socioeconomic conditions (notably incomes and cultural preservation), its potential remains underdeveloped due to:

Infrastructure gaps (only 30% of villages had adequate facilities)
Limited community awareness (40% lacked ecotourism knowledge)
Minimal impact on migration rates (5% reduction observed).
Prioritizing infrastructure investment and implementing integrated ecotourism management plans are critical to maximizing benefits.

Keywords

References

- Ahmadian, M.A., Alizadeh, K. and Boukani, R., 2017. The role of touriam in rural development, Marivan city. Geography. 14(51): 325-350. (In Persian).

- K.C., A., Rijal, K. and Sapkota, R. 2015. Role of ecotourism in environmental conservation and socioeconomic development in Annapurna conservation area, Nepal. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 22: 251-258. Doi:10.1080/13504509.2015.1005721.

- Auesriwong, A., Nilnoppakun, A. and Parawech, W., 2015. Integrative participatory Thailand procedia economics and finance. 23: 778-782. Doi:10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00529-8.

- Azizi, K., Rastgar, SH., Heydari, GH. and Jafarian, Z., 2023. Structural modeling the effects of ecotourism based on local community approach (Case study: Baladeh-e-Noor Summer Rangelands). Journal of Rangeland, 16(4): 860-875. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.20080891.1401.16.4.14.2. (In Persian).

- Babakhanzadeh, E. and Lotfi, S., 2013. An investigation of tourism impact on Qouri Qaleh village. Tourism Management Studies, 7(20): 81-116. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.23223294.1391.7.20.4.2. (In Persian).

- Cobbinah, P.B., Contextualising the meaning of ecotourism. Tourism Management Perspectives. 16:179-189. DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2015.07.015

- Cochran, W.G., 1977. Sampling Techniques. 3^rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

- Einali, J., Jafari, Gh. H. and Tabire, I., 2014. An assessment of the role of ecotourism on the development of rural areas (case study: Uraman-e-Takht, Sarvabad). Tourism Planning and Developemnet. 3(9): 191- 211. (In Persian).

- Fazli, N. and Roknodin Eftekhari, A., 2022. Measuring the impact of different dimensions of quality on sustainability of ecolodges. Journal of Tourism Planning and Development. 11(40): 41-78. https://doi.org/10.22080/jtpd.2022.21451.3541. (In Persian).

- Gholami. Y. and Shafiei, Z., 2021. Investigating the effective factors on rural tourism development with emphasis on tourism target village (Case study: Fash village; Kangavar city). Geograghy and Human Relationships. 4(2): 371-398. https://doi.org/10.22034/gahr.2021.299682.1598. (In Persian).

- Gumede, T.K. and Nzama A.T., 2019. Ecotourism as a mechanism for local economic development: the case of communities adjacent to the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Leisure 8(4): 1-19.

- Hossein Nia, E., Teymour, A. and Pourramzan, E., 2020. Analysis of Social Components Affecting the Resilience of Rural Settlements to Floods (Case Study: Villages in the East of Guilan Province). Journal of Rural Research. 11(4): 646-661. https://doi.org/10.22059/jrur.2020.305926.1529. (In Persian).

- Jain, K., 2020. Environmental and socio-economic impacts of ecotourism: A review. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS). 7(6): 175-178.

- Jomeh poor, M., 2011. Effect of tourism on sustainable rural livelihoods (Case Study: Baraghan Village - Savojbolagh County). Journal of Rural Research. 2(5): 33-62. (In Persian).

- Kalantari, Kh., 2012. Data processing and analysis in socio-economic research. Saba publication. 368 p. (In Persian).

- K. C., Anup. and Ghimire, Sanjeet., 2021. Ecotourism and its impact on indigenous people and their local environment: case of Ghalegaun and Golaghat of Nepal. GeoJournal. 86: 2747-2765. Doi:10.1007/s10708-020-10222-3.

- Kumar, S. and Nitin Vyas, N., 2022. Socio-economic empowerment of local communities through ecotourism: A review analysis. International Journal of Socio-Economic and Environmental Outlook (SEEO). 9(3): 10-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.36713/epra9654

- Li, L., Dong, Y., Zhang, T., Wang, H., Li, H and Li, A., 2023. Environmental and social outcomes of ecotourism in the dry rangelands of China, Journal of Ecotourism, 22:3, 430-450. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2022.2048841

- Moradi, H., Poursaeed, A., Vahedi, M. and Arayesh, M.B., 2022. Designing the ecotourism development model of the tourist destination villages of Kermanshah province. Tourism and Development. 9(1): 25-46. doi: 10.22034/jtd.2019.188908.1758. (In Persian).

- Moteei-langroudi, S.H. and Rezaeyeh-azadi, M., 2013. The evaluation of tourism economy from host community’s viewpoint in Oromee-e Band Resort. Journal of Space Economy and Rural Development. 2(4): 75-91. (In Persian).

- Mustofa, M. A., 2022. The role of ecotourism in the social and economic field. 2nd Basic and Applied Science Conference (BASC). NST Proceedings. 65-73. https://doi.org/10.11594/nstp.2022.2510

Paresishvili, O., L. Kvaratskhelia, and V. Mirzaeva., 2017. Rural tourism as a promising trend of small business in Georgia: Topicality, capabilities, peculiarities, Annals of Agrarian Sciences: 1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aasci.2017.07.008

- Rajabi, P., Molaei Hashjin, N. and Motamedimehr, A., 2022. Explaining the role of tourism in rural development (A case study of southwest villages of Gillan). Geographical Engineering of Territory, 6(1): 213-231. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.25381490.1401.6.1.8.5. (In Persian).

- Rastgar, Sh., Riahi, N., Tatian, M. and Ghorbanpour Delivand, M. 2023. Cost-benefit analysis of various methods of exploitation of local communities in summer rangelands of Hezar-Jerib, Behshahr. Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research. 30(3): 362-380. DOI: 10.22092/ijrdr.2023.130617. (In Persian).

- Riahi, V. and Ghasemi, A., 2015. The role of ecotourism in sustainable tourism development of county Behshar. Journal of studies of human sttelments planning. 10(31): 29-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4843585/v1. (In Persian).

- Samian, M. and Balali, H., 2013. Effects of socio - economic rural tourism with systematic approach (Case study in Farjin village). Tourism Planning and Development. 2(4): 159-180. (In Persian).

- Saqib, N., Yaqub, A., Amin, G., Khan, I., Ajab, H., Zeb, I. and Ahmad, D., 2019. The impact of tourism on local communities and their environment in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan: a local community perspective. Environmental and Socio-economic Studies, 7(3): 24-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/environ-2019-0015. (In Persian).

- Seidaiy, E. and Rostami, Sh., 2013. Economic and social impacts assessment - cultural tourism development (Case in Kermanshah). Spatial planning. 2(3): 95-110. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.22287485.1391.2.3.8.2. (In Persian).

- Sheibaninia, K., Abdollahi, S. and Mohammadzade, M., 2021. An overeview on tourism and its effects: A step towards sustainable development. 19(3): 199-211. (In Persian).

- Shi, H., Zhang, L., Song, B. and He, Ch., 2022. The impact of ecotourism on local rural households’ livelihood around Wolong nature reserve. Forestry Economics Review. 4(1): 2-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/FER-06-2021-0013.

- Sharifinia, Z., 2021. Analysis of factors affecting livelihood sustainability in rural areas of Sari county. Journal of Space Economy & Rural Development. 10 (35): 213-236. http://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.23222131.1400.10.35.10.8. (In Persian).

- Sobhani, P., Esmeilzadeh, H. and Barghjelveh, S., 2024. Negative impacts of ecotourism activities on protected areas and providing optimal strategies (Case study: Protected areas of Tehran Province). Journal of Natural Environment, 76: 129-146. DOI: http//doi.org/10.22059/jne.2023.360718.2561. (In Persian).

- Snyman, S. 2016. The role of private sector ecotourism in local socio-economic development in southern Africa. Journal of Ecotourism: 247-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2016.1226318

- Sojasi Qeidari, H., Shayan, H. and Faal Jalali, A., 2020. Investigating and analyzing the social responsibility of owners of ecolodgs case study: Khorasan Razavi. Journal of Tourism and Development, 9(4), 231-248. https://doi.org/10.22034/jtd.2020.202623.1831. (In Persian).

- Tisca, A. I., Istrat, N., Dumitrescu, C. D. and Cornu, G., 2016. Management of sustainable development in ecotourism. Case study Romania. Procedia Econ. Finance 39, 427–432. DOI: 10.1016/S2212-5671(16)30344-6. (In Persian).

- Widiartanto, A., Wahyudi, F.E., Slamet Santoso, R. and Priyotomo, M., 2022. The role of social capital in community based ecotourism: A case of Batang District, Central Java, Indonesia. Research Horizon. 2(5): 511-531. http://dx.doi.org/10.54518/rh.2.5.2022.511-531. (In Persian).

Investigating the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of ecotourism in summer rangelands in the East of Mazandaran province

References

References

Volume 32, Issue 1May 2025Pages 71-90

Volume 32, Issue 1
May 2025
Pages 71-90