Landscape degradation and development as a result of touristic activity in the fragile, high‐mountain environment of Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain), Andes, Peru

Bibliographic Data

ID21649901
AuthorsAleksandra Tomczyk (0000-0002-5400-7131, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań Poland, corresponding author), Marek Ewertowski (0000-0002-0422-2327, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań Poland)
Year2023
Volume34
Issue13
Pages3953-3972
Publication date2023-08-15
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLand Degradation and Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1085-3278 • E-ISSN: 1099-145X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ldr.4729
OpenAlexW4375851114
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited79

This study documented land degradation resulting from initial trail development and further high‐intensity touristic activity in a high‐altitude setting (>4000 m a.s.l.) in the Andes. Peru's Rainbow Mountain (also named Vinicunca or Montaña de Siete Colores) only became a world‐renowned tourist destination in recent years (after 2015/2016). A high‐mountain setting as such is fragile and does not recover fast, meaning the rapid influx of visitors has caused severe landscape degradation from which it will take several decades to recover. The main objectives of the study were to (1) characterise and map different types of impacts related to direct visitor pressure, (2) document and evaluate activities aimed at limiting degradation while enhancing visitors' experience, and (3) propose a conceptual model of trail functioning in the tropical high‐mountain environment. Data were collected using ground‐based surveys, unmanned aerial vehicles and high‐resolution satellite images. We identified eight dominant morphogenetic processes responsible for the transformation of landscape surface: (1) trampling, (2) abrasion/shearing by visitors and service animals and (3) transformation of water and sediment circulation—these direct human activities can initiate and/or intensify further degradation by the following natural processes: (4) water erosion, (5) freeze–thaw cycles, (6) dry‐wet cycles, (7) aeolian activities and (8) mass movements. The five main trail impacts identified were: trail widening, trail incision, formation of braided trail networks, development of muddy sections and development of informal (visitor‐created) trails. These observed impacts have left a clear imprint on the landscape after just one to two seasons of intensive recreational use

Aeolian processes · Archaeology · Geography · Geomorphology · Grazing · Land degradation · Physical geography · Tourism · Trampling · Visitor pattern · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management · Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation · Ecology · Geology

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