Enhancing environmental conservation through guided tour buses: Insights from Taijiang National Park

Abstract

High visitor numbers in protected areas can create traffic problems that impact on the environmental protection. In Taijiang National Park, a tour bus project 'Taijiang Fun Tour' was introduced to mitigate various environmental problems caused by private cars. This study evaluates the project's environmental benefits, and those of the various bus routes in the park, in reducing CO2 emissions. The Mangrove route only achieved a CO2 reduction in 2023, likely due to post-COVID-19 tourism recovery. In contrast, the Black-faced Spoonbill route consistently showed reductions in CO2 emissions, attributed to higher per trip passenger numbers replacing more private cars, better road conditions, and longer distances between attractions, that enabled higher bus speeds and lower CO2 emissions per unit time. While it is unsurprising that CO2 reduction is significantly influenced by passenger numbers and bus speeds, the results of this study could be used by TJNP to enhance the benefits from bus use. Starting in 2024, TJNP will optimise routes and implement additional measures to encourage low-carbon transportation.