For many regions and communes, the development of tourism offers opportunities for economic revival, the stimulation of local entrepreneurship and, as a result, increased budget revenues. Before such objectives can be successfully pursued, however, it is necessary to carefully consider to what degree the conditions present in a particular area are conducive to the development of tourism there, including its tourism resources and the existing state of development. This study analyzes the attractiveness of the seven communes making up Brzeski County (Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland) for tourism and recreation. The potential of the communes in this largely rural county was characterized using Gołembski’s index, based on multivariate comparative analysis, assessing the natural and man-made features and the degree of development of each of the communes. This analysis was further complemented using Wejchert’s impression curve, assessing visual attractiveness along selected routes in two of the communes. Of the seven communes analyzed, the Commune of Brzesko was found to have the most extensively developed services, hotel and food-service infrastructure, to be home to many historic buildings and to have a relatively high municipal budget. The Commune of Iwkowa, in turn, which scored lowest in terms of Gołembski’s index (mainly due to its underdeveloped infrastructure, few historic buildings and the fact that it is crossed by a major transit route), was nevertheless found to score significantly higher than Brzesko in terms of Wejchert’s impression curve. These findings confirm that the beauty of the landscape is not always well correlated with tourism development potential. We conclude that such a combination of methods should to be applied to reliably and comprehensively evaluate the relative attractiveness of different parts of a given region for tourism and recreation, for instance so as to inform planning decisions and the allocation of funding.

Tourism and recreation development in naturally valuable mountain areas is a complex issue. On the one hand, it has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of modern society, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. It also contributes to the economic growth of local communities, for which financial revenues from tourism are important sources of income. However, exceeding the limits of tourist absorption and improper trail management can lead to natural environment and landscape degradation. The Carpathians are marked by a dense and diverse network of tourist trails that can have an impact on biodiversity, which is often unique in this European region. The aim of the study was to determine tourists’ preferences in terms of the attractiveness and development of the mountain trails of the Carpathian region. The research was conducted using a survey on 10 main hiking trails in the Beskids. The results were compared with the inventory carried out in the field based on tourist values. The results highlight the possibility of achieving a balance between the use of tourist trails and the protection of the natural and cultural environment. Our results can be useful for the sustainable tourist management of mountain landscapes, linking nature conservation and recreation requirements.

Sound in the landscape is an element of the multisensory experience of the environment. In areas that are naturally valuable and additionally used for tourism, the quality of this element is much more important than in urban areas. The aim of the study was to assess the soundscape diversity of mountain trails included in the Crown of the Polish Beskids (Korona Beskidów Polskich). Two methods were used in the study: The first was sound intensity measurement using a sonometer, which provided information on the physical aspect of the landscape. The second method involved recording all sounds divided into two basic categories: anthropogenic and natural. These results made it possible to propose a new method for assessing the naturalness of the soundscape by plotting naturalness curves. In contrast to frequently used survey-based methods, in this method we minimise subjectivity, which is mainly due to the different perceptions of sounds by the assessors. Given how many psychophysical aspects can affect the reception and perception of sounds, the method of naturalness curves allows for a universal assessment of landscape quality. On all the mountain trails surveyed, the average sound intensity values exceeded 40 dB, which the authors considered to be borderline for areas of natural value and recreational use. In the study area, the influence of anthropopression on soundscape formation was found to be diverse and dependent on many factors. However, there was no clear evidence that tourism was the main negative influence. The plotted naturalness curves showed a large variation between trails, but not all trails showed a correlation between this parameter and the number of tourists on the trail.

Celem niniejszego opracowania była próba oceny wpływu roślinności na kształtowanie się krajobrazu dźwiękowego dwóch wybranych parków miejskich miasta Krakowa (park Krakowski i Błonia). Badania dotyczyły określenia natężenia hałasu dB (A) oraz inwentaryzacji typowych dźwięków, jakie można usłyszeć na badanym terenie – w dwóch porach roku. Jedna charakteryzowała okres, w którym drzewa i krzewy pozbawione są liści (wiosna), druga natomiast to czas pełnej wegetacji (wczesna jesień). Zarówno jedne, jak i drugie pomiary były wykonywane 3 razy w ciągu doby (dzień – 6.00 do 18.00, wieczór – 18.00 do 22.00 oraz noc 22.00 do 6.00). Badane parki wykazują się dużym zróżnicowaniem zarówno pod względem zajmowanego obszaru, jak i struktury roślinnej. Ma to ogromny wpływ zarówno na poziom hałasu, jak i częstość i typ rejestrowanych zdarzeń akustycznych.

W pracy przedstawiono dwa modele pedotransferowe do oznaczania przewodnictwa hydraulicznego w strefie nasyconej gleby, skonstruowane przy pomocy sztucznych sieci neuronowych (SSN). Modele zostały nauczone w oparciu o dane empiryczne otrzymane w laboratorium, przeprowadzone na 56 próbkach gleby o zróżnicowanym składzie granulometrycznym. W pierwszym modelu danymi wejściowymi były: średnice charakterystyczne d10, d50, d60, d90, zawartość frakcji piasku, pyłu iłu, porowatość ogólna, gęstość objętościowa i zawartość materii organicznej. Wykorzystano rodzaj MLP (perceptron wielowarstwowy) SSN. Najlepiej dopasowanym modelem okazał się model MLP 10-10-1 z satysfakcjonującymi wartościami parametrów jakości: dla próbki uczącej 0.996, for testowej 0.754 a dla walidacyjnej 1.000. Globalna analiza wrażliwości wykazała, że największy wpływ na wyjaśnienie relacji z przewodnictwem hydraulicznym w strefie nasyconej w tym modelu miały: zawartość frakcji iłu (wpływ absolutny 37.7%, d60 (17.1%), zawartość frakcji piasku (13.5%), d90 (6.0%), gęstość objętościowa (5.9%) i porowatość ogólna (5.7%). Pozostałe parametry miały absolutny wpływ poniżej 5.0%. Następny wygenerowany model SSN był typu 6-10-1, z sześcioma wyjaśniającymi parametrami o największym wpływie. Współczynnik korelacji osiągną wartość 0.989 i 0.955 dla pierwszego i drugiego modelu odpowiednio. Średni procentowy błąd wskazał na niedoszacowanie wartości wyjaśnianej przez model w stosunku do wartości uzyskanych w laboratorium. Wartości błędu osiągnęły 35.9% i 54.8% odpowiednio. Ograniczenie ilości parametrów wyjaśniających nie wykazało dużego pogorszenia jakości modelu SSN.

Aim of the study: Firstly, due to the different sizes and spatial organization of ski resorts, it is important to determine whether there is a local differentiation of the sound landscape within one resort. Secondly, due to the continuous expansion of the ski infrastructure, it is essential to develop methods for improving the quality of the acoustic environment. It is therefore necessary to determine whether there are acoustic differences between the different ski resorts. Material and methods: The research we conducted consisted in measuring the sound levels, and inventorying various types of acoustic events. The examined ski resorts, despite the difference in size of the areas they occupy and the numbers of users, are in many aspects comparable to each other. Results and conclusions: Ski resorts occupying a relatively small area but with a high concentration of infrastructure and skiers may exert a stronger environmental impact than resorts with a larger area and lesser density of infrastructure as well as a lower number of users per area. The skiers themselves, their manners, and their environmental consciousness have a great impact on the quality of the sound landscape.