THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT OF RECREATIONAL CARRYING CAPACITY OF NATURAL TERRITORIES

Abstract

The paper presents a retrospective analysis of the development of the ‘recreational carrying capacity’concept as a central framework for tourism and visitor management in natural protected areas and also provides an overview of major international and Russian approaches to its determination.The authors identify three distinct periods in the evolution of the term ‘recreational carrying capacity’. The genesisof the concept is traced back to grazing land management theory, which established the relationship between ecosystemdegradation and the intensity of use. The second period, spanning from the mid-1960s to the 1980s, is marked by a rapidexpansion of tourism in protected natural areas worldwide. This stage is characterized by rethinking and broadening ofthe concept, alongside a paradigm shift in tourism as an economic sector, an increasing need for scientific guidance, andthe emergence of new academic disciplines. The paper presents examples of both Russian and international studies reflecting these changes and the new paradigm. The third period is closely tied to the advent of models of modern tourismmanagement in protected natural areas and the implementation of sustainable development principles, including ecological tourism.The paper critiques the widespread misinterpretation of the ‘recreational carrying capacity’ concept and its substitution with concepts such as ‘permissible recreational load’ or ‘numerical visitor capacity’, emphasizing the distinctionsbetween these terms. The authors analyze contemporary approaches to the regulatory legal frameworks governing recreational nature use and the methodologies for determining recreational carrying capacity. Drawing on extensive practicalresearch, the authors propose an original definition of ‘recreational carrying capacity’ and discuss detailed algorithms forits determination, including practical applications and strategies for enhanced data validity.