Formation of the Tourist and Recreational Forest Potential: Methodological and Strategic Guidelines for System Assessment

Abstract

The current state of spatial and territorial development of recreational nature management in Ukraine is characterized by the fact that the country has significant natural resource potential, unique recreational resources, as well as a valuable natural reserve fund. This proves that the possibility for further development and forestland use for recreational purposes, and the formation of spatial-territorial recreational systems with the involvement of forestlands can be widely developed. At the same time, this is a prerequisite for the active development of market relations in the field of recreational and tourist management, since the diversity and uniqueness of forest resource potential creates the opportunity to gain competitive advantages in using separate recreational resources that will provide high demand and prices for them. From these perspectives, the purpose of the paper is to deepen economic assessment of recreational forest resource potential for ensuring the formation of territorial forest resource assets (natural capital) in the context of strategic guidelines for sustainable forestry spatial development. The main principles of formation of the territorial and recreational forest resource potential (capital) have been considered in this paper. Also, it should be taken into account that, at present, the methods of economic (cost) estimation of certain types of natural resources, which are involved in economic activity and recreational activities, are well-developed and widely used. Therefore it should be noted that the problem of an integrated system assessment of territorial forest resource capital is relevant for the recreational use of forest lands, since it is necessary to evaluate, as far as possible, and more fully, all of its components, for the effective decision-making in the management mechanism. The scheme of the system assessment of the territorial and recreational forest potential (TRFP) has been developed and represented. The main objectives of ecosystem management of forest areas in the context of providing balanced recreational forestland management have been determined. It was concluded that comprehensive and system assessment of recreational forest resource capital based on the application of the natural capital methodology and the concept of total economic value (value) should become an effective lever in the market-oriented mechanism of forest management in the spatial and territorial format. The article identifies theoretical and conceptual guidelines for system assessment of territorial forest capital in the context of spatial development strategies.