National parks in mountain areas are biodiversity hotspots in which implementing the sustainability goals of Agenda 2030 is particularly urgent. Ecotourism provides an opportunity to convey bio-ecological and economic sustainability principles to the public, focusing on nature conservation and a reduction of the negative impacts of tourism. We investigated four national parks in the Apennines, Italy using the insights of hiking guides with park accreditation to assess sustainability issues. Multivariate analyses of questionnaires revealed that most of the interviewed hiking guides across the Apennines were sensitive toward the theme of sustainability. Limiting the ecological footprint of tourism was identified as the main challenge. Interesting feedback on management issues was given by hiking guides, indicating innovations such as food, waste-disposal management, accommodation, and transport as critical areas with the potential to impact sustainable development. Certification schemes were also recognized as an important tool with which to encourage ecologically responsible tourism. Hiking guides themselves revealed an interest in improving national parks’ scientific communication and the provision of lifelong learning initiatives regarding old-growth forests and nature conservation. Overall, the research highlights the key role of hiking guides as an effective means of conveying conservation messaging to ecotourists, while also encouraging sustainable development and the adoption of agro-environmental measures on the part of local communities. Hiking guides could, therefore, contribute toward both improving cultural awareness of conservation issues and encouraging local, low-impact economic practices.

中文翻译：

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亚平宁山脉意大利国家公园可持续生态旅游的发展：远足指南的见解

山区国家公园是生物多样性热点，在其中实施 2030 年议程的可持续发展目标尤为紧迫。生态旅游为向公众传达生物生态和经济可持续性原则提供了机会，重点是自然保护和减少旅游业的负面影响。我们利用获得公园认证的徒步旅行指南对意大利亚平宁山脉的四个国家公园进行了调查，以评估可持续性问题。对问卷的多变量分析显示，大多数受访的亚平宁山脉徒步向导对可持续性主题很敏感。限制旅游业的生态足迹被确定为主要挑战。远足指南对管理问题给出了有趣的反馈，指出了诸如食品、废物处理管理、住宿和运输是具有影响可持续发展潜力的关键领域。认证计划也被认为是鼓励对生态负责的旅游业的重要工具。徒步旅行指南本身表明他们对改善国家公园的科学交流和提供有关原始森林和自然保护的终身学习计划很感兴趣。总体而言，该研究强调了徒步导游作为向生态旅游者传达保护信息的有效手段的关键作用，同时也鼓励当地社区的可持续发展和采取农业环境措施。因此，徒步旅行指南有助于提高对保护问题的文化意识，并鼓励当地、