The Impact of Ecotourism Activities on the Type of Utilization from Forests
The question “What is the primary mode of utilization from forests before and after ecotourism?” was answered by the villagers as “meeting the need for winter fuel wood” (93.4 %) and grazing fields for the livestock (6.6 %); the same villagers gave the following answers after ecotourism activities: “meeting the need for winter fuel wood” (75.4 %) and grazing fields for the livestock (6.6 %) and as raw material for wood-carving work (18 %).
H0, the significance test of the difference between two matches (Table 15.9), was rejected to test whether there was a statistical difference between these values; it was determined with 95 % reliability that there was difference between the answers given for the priorities for utilization of the forests before and after ecotourism activities (t calculation = —3, 536, p < 0.05).
This finding means that the smaller than 0.05 value for the significance level indicates there is statistical difference between the answers given regarding the primary types of utilization of forests before and after ecotourism activities.
15.3.3.2 Impact of Ecotourism Activities on the Type and Amount of Fuels
Impact on Annual Fuelwood
Before ecotourism activities the amount of wood used as fuel per household on an annual basis was 13.93 sters, whereas today the amount of wood used as fuel per household on an annual basis as fuel is 13.52 sters.
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Table 15.9 t test results applied for determination of the difference between the most prominent mode of utilization from forests before and after ecotourism
Source: Aydin (2010) |
H0, which is the significance test of the difference between two matches (Table 15.10), was accepted to test whether there was a statistical difference between these values; it was determined with 95 % reliability that there was difference between the answers given to the question for the amount of wood consumed per household on an annual basis before and after ecotourism activities (t calculation = 882, p > 0.05).
This result means that there is no statistical difference between the two values. The decrease in the usage of wood today compared to the period before ecotourism activity considerably reduced the utilization by villagers of forests within the study area. However, this situation does not necessarily mean that villagers do not exert any pressure on the forests.
