TuristiCO2:a carriyng capacity projectfor a park island

An ongoing project is presented, aiming to develop a tourist carrying capacity model for Pianosa island. Pianosa, a 10 square km island in front of Tuscan coast, is part of the Parco nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano; it has been used as a jail until a few years ago, and it is nowadays visited by a number of tourists, mainly on one day excursions from the adjoining Elba island. A debate is open, between local tour operators and the Park administration, about the carrying capacity of the island. Since 2000, Pianosa houses the PianosaLAB, a project aiming to quantify the amount of carbon that the island exchanges with the atmosphere; its results show that Pianosa represents a sink of carbon, thus actively contributing to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The outcomes of carrying capacity models will be related with the results of PianosaLAB, and suggestions about a correct management of Pianosa ecosystem will be given, in order to increase its carbon sequestration capacity.