Terrain Susceptibility to Geomorphological Processes and their Impact on Tourism Infrastructure in the Sâmbata Valley (Făgăraş Mountains, Romania)

AbstractThe Sâmbata Valley is located in the north-eastern part of the Fagaras Mts, an area with a varied range of present geomorphologic processes which manifest with different intensities in space and time. The remarkable morphodynamic energy and favourability to erosion processes in the context of overgrazing exploitation and extreme weather events are the main features of the analysed mountain area. On this background of high morphodynamic potential, the geomorphological processes have a strong impact on existing tourist facilities from degradation to total destruction. The morphodynamic potential is related to morphometrical data and meteorological parameters and a GIS analysis is conducted in order to obtain the terrain susceptibility to geomorphological processes map. The synthesis map of terrain susceptibility to geomorphological processes groups different areas within six classes of susceptibility depending on the types and intensity of geomorphological processes (areas affected by geomorphological processes, areas with very high susceptibility, areas with high susceptibility, areas with moderate susceptibility, areas with low susceptibility, areas with very low susceptibility). The analysis of trail susceptibility to damage due to geomorphological processes reveals a major percent of trail length that presents very high susceptibility to damage (38.9%). Having in view the fact that the paths system from the Fagaras Mountains is relatively old, the pretty high anthropic impact and the geomorphologic processes which affect it, it has to be reconditioned, by following the principles of modern trail-building