A dynamic analysis of a tourism-based socioecological system

Abstract

The study proposes a dynamic analysis regarding interactions between the resources provided by the forest, the wildlife present inside or in the proximity of that environment and visitors revolving around the before mentioned socioecological framework. The mathematical model is described by a nonlinear system with three differential equations. The discrete time delay is introduced to illustrate the entire past impact of tourists on forest resources and wildlife. The basic assumption is that the wildlife species which inhabit the area are relying entirely on forest resources to meet their needs for food, shelter, and to attract tourists. Also, there is a positive correlation between ecotourism activities and the presence of forest resources and wildlife. The equilibrium states are determined, and they are subjected to a stability and bifurcation analysis. The study employs a Hopf bifurcation analysis in the neighborhood of the equilibrium states by choosing the time delay as the bifurcation parameter. The critical values of the time-delay that lead to oscillatory behavior are determined. Numerical simulations are carried out to show the system’s qualitative behavior in the vicinity of the equilibria.