ecotourism in rodna mountains national park, between wishfulness and reality

abstract: established in the nucleus of the scientific reservation pietrosu mare and set up in 1932 on a surface of 183 hectares, rodna mountains national park (r.m.n.p.) witnessed a remarkable spatial evolution, reaching today a 46 399- hectare territory. the management of this protected area is conducted by the employees of a.r.m.n.p., an administrative structure located in rodna, bistriţa-năsăud county even though r.m.n.p.’s values are among the most representative ones, both in romania and internationally, being included in the worldwide network of biosphere reservations, tourism in this area has not benefitted from an accurate development proportional to its highly varied natural and anthropogenic potential. based on statistics and research conducted personally or together with the representatives of the administration of rodna mountains national park (a.r.m.n.p.), the current study aims at emphasizing the significant contrast between the wishfulness of intense tourism characterized by major tourist influxes and its relatively scarce reality.