Evaluating the tourism ecological security in rural regions using the DPSIR framework

Recently, the rapid growth of tourism and the increasing number of tourists in Iran have emerged as a serious threat to wildlife conservation and environmental protection. Although rural tourism development has been widely promoted in recent decades as a key strategy for economic growth and improving the quality of life in rural areas, its implications for ecological security are becoming increasingly evident. Ecological security in tourism is defined as a state of harmony in which the natural environment, social activities, and economic structures coexist in balance. This study adopts a critical and forward-looking perspective to evaluate the sustainability of rural tourism and address its associated environmental instability. Using the driving, pressures, state, impacts, and responses (DPSIR) framework and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we analyze data from 88 villages in Mazandaran County, Iran, to assess the impact of tourism growth on ecological security. The results indicate a significant and direct deterioration of the ecological State driven by environmental Pressures, explaining 50% of the variance. In contrast, current governance Responses are insufficient, mitigating only 11% of driving forces and 24% of pressures. Overall, the findings highlight a fundamental mismatch between economic development drivers and ecological integrity. Addressing this structural imbalance requires a systemic shift toward integrated and proactive governance frameworks. Ensuring ecological sustainability depends on coordinated action among local communities, government institutions, and non-governmental organizations, with an emphasis on transformative approaches such as sustainable rural tourism and agritourism to rebalance development and ecological security.