Integrating environmental sensitivity analysis into strategic environmental assessment for sustainable tourism planning : A review

Abstract

Tourism development frequently leads to significant environmental impacts, particularly in vulnerable areas. While strategic environmental assessment (SEA) serves as a crucial tool for integrating environmental considerations into policies and plans, its effectiveness in tourism destinations is often constrained by a lack of integrated tools to assess environmental sensitivity. Environmental sensitivity analysis (ESA), which identifies areas sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance, is applied at the project level (environmental impact assessment), rather than being proactively integrated into strategic territorial planning for tourism. The analysis of this concept is crucial for identifying high-priority areas for conservation and sustainable tourism management. This systematic review addresses this gap by analyzing the inter-relationship between the conceptual aspects of SEA and ESA methodologies and the sustainable planning of territories.