Ecotourism is key to both conserving ecosystems and vitalising rural economies. Sustaining such recreation requires strategies that effectively balance ecosystem conservation with tourism promotion. A crucial component of this balance involves understanding which landscapes and species attract visitors. However, identifying these “charismatic” sites and species has traditionally relied on costly and spatially limited questionnaire surveys.
In this study, we propose a simple and scalable method to infer nature-based recreation sites and species that appeal to visitors using crowdsourced biodiversity observation data. Focusing on Inabe City, a rural Japanese municipality with high recreational visitation, we analysed 12,764 observations from iNaturalist and Biome platforms, alongside 238,625 observations from other areas in Japan. We developed an index to estimate observer residency based on the proportion of observation days within the city, which was validated through questionnaire data.
Spatial analyses revealed clear differences between presumed residents and visitors: while both groups used recreational facilities, residents were more active in lowland forests, and visitors were attracted to wetlands and mountain habitats.
Visitors also disproportionately recorded dragonflies and understory endangered plants compared to observations made outside the city, suggesting that these species contribute strongly to the area’s recreational appeal. While the popularity of green infrastructure and rare or endemic species was expected, several unexpected parks and aquatic insects also emerged as key attractions. These insights highlight the importance of conserving highland forests and wetlands to support biodiversity and tourism.
This study shows how community-based biodiversity platforms can be used to understand human-nature interactions and inform regional planning. By integrating ecological and social perspectives, such approaches can support sustainable tourism and contribute to rural revitalisation.