Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability in Rural Areas of Rudbar

Ecotourism is responsive to the current needs of ecosystems and, instead of harming the environment, helps to preserve and expand opportunities for their future survival. The main motivation for sustainable ecotourism is to travel to nature and visit the natural attractions of a particular region including its physical features and indigenous culture. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ecotourism on the environmental sustainability of rural areas in Rudbar. The research method in this study was descriptive-analytical. Data collection was carried out through documents, library data, questionnaire, survey of stakeholders, and field observations. ArcGIS and SPSS software, ANOVA test, and Alan's PERSCOT model were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the level of environmental sustainability in the villages under investigation varied, with Shirkouh village having the highest level of sustainability at 0.723 (good level) among others. Halimejan and Shahrbijar villages ranked next with 0.689 and 0.687, respectively. Kalashtr village had the worst level of sustainability at 0.182 and was considered to have an unstable state. Also, the results of the ANOVA test in the environmental indicators showed that Shirkouh, Halimehjan, and Shahrbijar villages ranked first to third based on the obtained data and expert opinions and had desirable levels of sustainability. Kalashtar village also ranked the lowest. Finally, it can be concluded that ecotourism has the potential to establish the foundation for green tourism development in rural areas under investigation of this study.