Assessing the Ecological Impact of Ultramarathon Events in Protected Natural Sites

‘Le Grand Raid Réunion’

Bibliographic Data

ID13126099
AuthorsSandra Heck (0000-0002-2514-5500, University of Koblenz and Landau, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume2
Issue1
Pages749-760
Publication date2019-02-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHeritage (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2571-9408 • E-ISSN: 2571-9408
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/heritage2010048
OpenAlexW2915140114
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited17

Outdoor sport events evidently have an impact on the environment. If they are taking place in naturally protected areas this impact is even greater. By taking ’Le Grand Raid Réunion’, an international ultramarathon annually organized in the heart of an UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, as a case study, this paper concentrates on assessing the ecological impact of an outdoor sports event in a protected natural site. On the basis of datasets taken from official logistics lists and from a survey conducted among all event participants the analysis embraces ecological and carbon event footprinting. Measuring those two indicators allows identifying the specific event-related ecological impacts, including diverse variables caused by the athletes, the spectators, and the related organizational requirements. The results of the study thereby have the ability to strongly influence the future event policy and to function as a model for the assessment of the ecological impact of other outdoor sports events

Archaeology · Biology · Environmental resource management · Event (particle physics · Geography · Impact assessment · Natural (archaeology · Political science · RAID · Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking · Computer Science · Environmental Science · Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Ecology

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