Experience in assessing the recreational impact on suburban green spaces by modern methods

Urban green spaces and forest parks outside the boundaries of settlements perform a variety of functions, one of which is recreational. However, a person resting in nature becomes a factor that disrupts or even destroys such ecosystems. In this regard, recreational areas need to monitor the state and regulate recreational loads. Usually, geobotanical surveys are used to assess the state of such territories. However, such studies are possible only with the participation of specialists and require considerable time. The purpose of our research is to assess the recreational disturbance of the territory according to the characteristics of geobotanical research and the share of areas occupied by footpath networks. The main studies were carried out in pine and pine-birch stands on monitoring sample plots laid out on the territory of the Gremyachaya Griva park (the border and suburbs of Krasnoyarsk), which have a different degree of recreational impact. A DJI Mavic 2 quadrocopter footage was used to quantify the share of the footpath network. Images of the monitoring areas were obtained from a height of 300 m with a resolution of 0.15 x 0.15 m. The images of the footpath territories were contrasted using a graphic editor. Next, the proportion of the footpath area in the images of forest was calculated. For comparison, an inventory of the species composition of plants was carried out using generally accepted geobotanical methods. The ratio of the areas of territories covered and not covered by the footpath network was used in the monitoring of recreational areas. To implement the proposed method, a one-time footage of the territory is required; image processing and calculations do not require significant time.