Sharing or sparing? An analysis of the forest owners’ opportunity costs in cultural ecosystem services accounting for the Via Transilvanica outdoor recreational trail

Outdoor recreation is one of the most relevant cultural ecosystem services provided by the Romanian forests. The Via Transilvanica (VT) is Romania’s longest marked hiking trail, stretching over 1,400 km from the Danube coast to the Carpathian peaks. Similar to famous routes like the El Camino, it offers diverse
landscapes and can be completed in 14 stages, each lasting 3-4 days, on foot, by bicycle, or horseback. The trail has important natural and social impacts, emphasizing the need for environmental preservation. A pilot study
was conducted along a trail in 137 km across Bucovina region that accounted for 3699 hectares of forests. The analysis explores three policy scenarios based on land sparing and land sharing frameworks: the first scenario
involves complete segregation of forests with high social value (set-aside); the second integrates forest regeneration through active harvesting while protecting forests for social purposes (soft land sparing); and the third focuses on creating buffer zones around the VT trail (strong land sharing approach). Each scenario presents a distinct approach to balancing conservation and social needs. The opportunity cost is calculated from the forest owners’ perspective, considering the planned works and timber extraction volumes obtained from
the FMPs for each parcel. The opportunity cost calculation showed that the set-aside scenario incurs the highest opportunity cost of an annual value of €1.2 million for the entire assessed area while soft land sparing translates to €0.8 million per year. The cost of establishing buffer zones ranges from €14,000 to €59,000 per year, depending on the zone’s width. The study identifies the advantages and shortcomings of each scenario, highlighting the need for a flexible and adaptable management strategy. The study emphasizes the main criteria for a sound, data-driven decision-support system to manage forests with high socio-cultural values taking into account both environmental and economic aspects, as well as the needs of forest owners, local communities, and tourists. Further research is needed as to identify the overall opportunity costs of the three scenarios considering the potential economic benefits of the VT trail at the community level.

Cerasela TEODORESCU, Liviu NICHIFOREL, Laura BOURIAUD