The environmental impact caused by road access to Timanfaya Natural Park on Lanzarote Island

This paper evaluates the impact of road transport usage in accessing the Timanfaya Natural Park on Lanzarote Island, and its implications for sustainable tourism development. This evaluation is based on projections of the trip matrix estimated for Lanzarote Island. First, we estimate the global environmental impact, or the contribution of the road transport required for accessing the natural park to climate change. The methodology employed is the Ecological Footprint indicator. The study analyses how to manage the impact of road access to tourist activities through a price intervention; i.e. fuel tax. Redesigning the public transport supply is proposed as an alternative to the pricing policy. Finally, conclusions are drawn.