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Research on geomorphological hazard related to tourism is currently a remarkable subject for the correlated environmental and socio-economic aspects. The increasing attention to the natural environment and the practice of sports such as mountaineering, climbing and canyoning, as well as the more traditional hiking, led to the constant tourism growth in areas featuring important dynamics and geomorphological hazard conditions. Current climate changes and the weather marked variability dramatically worsen the existing natural hazardous conditions and highly increase the vulnerability of the human element; the meteorological variability intensifies natural processes and the frequency of extreme events - which cause insignificant situations to become dangerous so that the tourist is not always able to face them.
This work investigates the case of the Aveto Park: although the northern areas are not far from the sea, the geographical conditions make these areas more similar to an Alpine environment rather than to a coastal hinterland. The peculiar orographic configuration of the most popular park area, which is represented by the mountain lineament of mounts Penna and Aiona, involves specific climate and weather conditions. Temperature and rainfalls indicate that the climate is of sub-continental type, with snowfalls in winter and spring condensation close to the ridges with the formation of low-altitude clouds and fogs and sudden changes of weather conditions.
Geological features of this area involve natural hazards related to geomorphological dynamics such as gravity, running waters, periglacial processes and to the peculiar climate conditions.
Other factors such as tourist vulnerability - that is to say criticality hiking trails - as well as the human element vulnerability contribute to intensify hazardous situations. On the basis of the data collected by the Italian Unit for Alpine and Speleological Rescue over the period 1996 - 2007 in the Aveto Natural Park an average of three rescues p/year is carried out. Accidents often occur in autumn and winter and mainly involve rescue of missing people for unfavourable weather conditions or for lacking area knowledge and, secondly, accidents while doing sports.
Considering the concept of risk an operational model was used for assessing various hazard situations which had already been proposed on other occasions in the Ligurian Apennine; this model investigates geomorphological instability, trails network features and physical and technical ability of tourists.
The study aims at improving the proposed model so that it can be applied to different areas, morphodynamical environments and tourist attractions as well. If the tourist is more aware of the geohazard related to the excursion activity in general, more consciousness is engaged regarding the natural dynamics and hazards that one can address, therefore assessment faculties regarding consequent risk situations improve.
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