L’importanza della capacità di carico turistica per una governance condivisa e per uno sviluppo sostenibile delle isole mediterranee

The sustainability of Mediterranean islands is strongly influenced by numerous factors. The need for an integrated participatory approach for their management has led to study a decision support system based on quantitative and qualitative tools able to link natural, landscape, economic and social environments. The proposed model is based on the calculation of tourism carrying capacity (TCC), meant here as an instrument to measure the relationship between environmental conservation and economic development of an island. The model has been tested on the Asinara island, in collaboration with local stakeholders, the Asinara National Park and the University of Sassari. The model, general and flexible, is easily adaptable to the peculiarity of each island, and can therefore be used in other islands where tourism is a fundamental economic sector, but foreseen a sustainable participatory development with a balance between environmental conservation and economic development.