Tourism – A vulnerable strength in the protected areas of the Romanian Carpathians

Representing a long-term source of revenue, an important job generator, and offering opportunities to increase life quality, tourism is considered a priority for economic development in Romania from the national to the local levels. These reasons to which the minimum environmental impact and the reduced consumption of natural resources could be added, recommend this domain as a solution to obtain economic gains within protected areas in Romanian Carpathians (i.e. national and natural parks). Thus, considered a key activity in some of the most valuable and fragile territories, this economic branch induces a certain degree of vulnerability at the same time. Firstly, tourism through unplanned extension and unorganized demand threatens its own resources and consequently its sustainable development. Moreover, the sensitive protected areas already facing the tourism impact have to cope with the pressure induced by the neighbouring communities located mostly in rural areas with poor urban infrastructure, suffering from economic decline and trying to develop tourism themselves while advertising natural resources in the area. These aspects were emphasized in our study by using suggestive available indicators displayed by official Romanian statistics, the National Spatial Plan (PATN) - Tourism Section and the Ministry of Environment. At the same time an analysis of the existing management plans of national and natural parks and of the development strategies of settlements (NUTS 5) and counties (NUTS 3) overlapping protected areas in the Romanian Carpathians on the other.