Ecosystem services in tourism and recreation research – the example of fishing in the Great Masurian Lakes, Poland

Tourism and recreation opportunities are included in the most of the existing ecosystem services (ES) classifications, usually as one of cultural services. The assessment of ES in tourism and recreation is conducted both in the field of natural and social sciences, but existing studies rarely combine these two aspects together. This paper aims at implementing the concept of ecosystem services to the field of tourism research. It includes both ecological (landscape potential to tourism) and social (users’ behavior) aspects of ES assessment. The example of recreational fishing was chosen, as this activity is extremely dependent on natural conditions. The research was conducted in the Great Masurian Lakes, in the postglacial landscape of northern Poland. The study unveiled, that there is no significant correlation between landscape potential for recreational fishing and the activity of fishermen. This suggests, that human-based conditions, both cultural and infrastructural influence ecosystem service delivery significantly.