Albufera de Valencia (Spain): Measuring carrying capacity in a fragile ecosystem

VIÑALS, MARÍA JOSÉ; MORANT GONZÁLEZ, MARYLAND; HERNÁNDEZ, C.; FERRER, CARLOS; QUINTANA, RUBEN DARIO; MARAVALL, NATALIA; CABRELLES, GEMMA; RAMIS, G.; BACHILLER, C.

Indicators of sustainable development for tourism destinations. A guide book.

World Tourism Organization

Lugar: Madrid; Año: 2004; p. 330 - 337

This case defines an holistic approach to the concept of carrying capacity and shows an application of this approach, including a selection of useful indicators which support the analysis of the Albufera de Valencia nature park. The concept of "carrying capacity" has to do with the maximum level of use that an area or resource can be subjected to without degradation; it includes two basic ideas: number of users (quantitative aspects) and the appropriate use of the resources (qualitative aspects). This concept is widely employed in land-use planning and zoning studies as a basis for the monitoring of areas that are considered fragile or of great ecological value. (Viñals et al., 2001).