The Beach Crowding Index: A Tool for Assessing Social Carrying Capacity of Vulnerable Beaches

Abstract

The aim of this article is to introduce the Beach Crowding Index (BCI), a procedure to assess the social carrying capacity of vulnerable beaches. The study uses the people at one time (PAOT) approach and data gathered weekly throughout the bathing season regarding the number of beachgoers in 100 m² cells of the beach to assess how many beachgoers it can comfortably hold. The procedure is based on fieldwork, interviews with beachgoers, and geographic information system (GIS) analysis and has been tested on four beaches in protected areas on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. On a scale from 0 to 4, minimum scores throughout the bathing season are 0.7 and maximum 3.7, although results showed wide variation between the beaches, the section of the beach, and the time of day. This study suggests that determining the location of beachgoers and collecting a long-term series of data is fundamental to assessing social carrying capacity and that the BCI procedure can be used for a large number of applications.

本文的目标在于引介海滩拥挤指标 (BCI) 这个评价脆弱海滩的社会承载力之程序。本研究运用特定时间人数 (PAOT) 之方法, 以及在沐浴季节中, 每週搜集的每一百平方米面积中的海滩拜访者数量, 以评估该海滩能够适切容纳多少海滩访客。该程序是根据田野工作、访谈海滩拜访者, 以及地理信息系统 (GIS) 分析, 并通过西班牙地中海沿岸的四个受保护的海滩进行检验。在零到四的评量尺度中, 沐浴季节中最少的分数是零点六, 最大则达到三点七, 尽管研究结果显示出各海滩之间、海滩区段、以及一日中的时间的大幅变异。本研究主张, 确认海滩拜访者的区位和搜集长程的数据集是评估社会承载力的关键, 而 BCI 程序能够有广泛的应用。

El propósito de este artículo es presentar el Índice de Congestión de Playa (BCI), un procedimiento para evaluar la capacidad de carga social de playas vulnerables. El estudio usa el enfoque de gente en un momento dado (PAOT) y los datos recogidos semanalmente durante toda la estación de recreo de playa relacionados con el número de visitantes de la playa en celdas de espacio de 100 m² para evaluar cuántos bañistas puede albergar confortablemente la playa. El procedimiento se basa en trabajo de campo, entrevistas con los visitantes de la playa, y análisis de sistema de información geográfica (SIG), probado en cuatro playas de áreas protegidas de la costa mediterránea española. En una escala de 0 a 4, los registros mínimos a través de toda la estación de recreo son de 0.7 y el máximo 3.7, aunque los resultados exhibieron amplia variación entre distintas playas, la sección de la playa y la hora del día. Este estudio sugiere que determinar la localización de los bañistas y recogiendo una serie de datos a largo término es fundamental para evaluar la capacidad de carga social, y que el procedimiento BCI puede aplicarse en un gran número de posibilidades.

Key Words:

• BCI
• beach management
• carrying capacity
• crowdedness
• geographic information system

关键词:

• BCI, 海滩管理
• 承载力
• 拥挤度
• 地理信息系统。

Palabras clave:

• BCI
• manejo de playas
• capacidad de carga
• congestionamiento
• sistema de información geográfica

Additional information

Funding

This study has been carried out within the framework of the SPATIUM project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under contract number CSO2014-52721-P.

Notes on contributors

David Serrano Giné

DAVID SERRANO GINÉ is Lecturer in the Department of Geography, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include cartography, GIS, and spatial analysis, and he has conducted research in this domain in Europe and Latin America.

Joan Jurado Rota

JOAN JURADO ROTA is a Teaching Assistant in Geographical Information Systems and PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include management of protected areas, tracking outdoor activities, and neogeography techniques.

María Yolanda Pérez Albert

MARÍA YOLANDA PÉREZ ALBERT is Professor at University Rovira i Virgili, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]. Her reasearch has been published in journals such as Environment International or Cartography and Geographic Information Science, and she is the author of several textbooks in Spanish. Her main research interests are in the field of GIS, and spatial techniques applied to tourism analysis. She has published on subjects such as tourism and development, mainly in Central America and the Caribbean.

Carla Bonfill Cerveró

CARLA BOFILL CERVERÓ received a degree in Geography at University Rovira i Virgili, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]. She also holds a master's in landscape architecture. She has conducted research stays at the University of Gothenburg and she is interested on the social perception and valorization of landscape, especially in local comunities and rural areas.