Recreational Boat Carrying Capacity of Vembanad Lake Ecosystem, Kerala, South India

Abstract

Recreational carrying capacity refers to the number of boats that can be operated on a lake without compromising safe recreational use, aesthetic enjoyment, and/or environmental quality. Lakes are a finite resource with seemingly unlimited demand. This fact, coupled with a tremendous increase in the number, size, and speed of today's watercraft, has brought the issue of lake access and overcrowding to the forefront in many communities. As lake use increases, environmental quality, user enjoyment, and safety may decrease. To keep our lakes available for multiple uses, it is helpful to learn about their recreational carrying capacity. The present study is a first attempt to evaluate the boat carrying capacity as well as the recreational carrying capacity of Vembanad lake.