Evaluation of susceptibility associated with mountain activities in the national park of Peneda-Gerês. Contributions for the preparation of a preliminary intervention plan

Abstract

PPeneda-Gerês (PGNP) is the only national park in Portugal. It has been receiving an increasing number of visitors, something that is seen by the municipalities as a key opportunity to promote the economic development of the region as a whole. However, the occurrence of some serious accidents and their negative public impact can jeopardize that potential. The purpose of this work is to identify the dangers in the PNPG that contributed to these accidents. For that, the characterization of the biophysical variables of the space and the cataloguing of the occurrences between 2006 and 2015 were used. The records of the PNPG flow of users, their characterization, the tendencies for both the search for a natural space and the media exposure around the theme to increase also deserve the proper consideration in this study. We present some conclusions that allow us to identify the main vulnerabilities in managing the flows of users in the Park’s interior and in organizing the response to accidents. There are weaknesses in recording inflows and in emergency events that have occurred within its limits. Imbalances are identified in the rescue response in the area where most of the accidents occur, furthest away from passable routes, these being the ones for which the response is most delayed.