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1.
Defining acceptable conditions in wilderness 总被引:5,自引:0,他引:5
The limits of acceptable change (LAC) planning framework recognizes that forest managers must decide what indicators of wilderness
conditions best represent resource naturalness and high-quality visitor experiences and how much change from the pristine
is acceptable for each indicator. Visitor opinions on the aspects of the wilderness that have great impact on their experience
can provide valuable input to selection of indicators. Cohutta, Georgia; Caney Creek, Arkansas; Upland Island, Texas; and
Rattlesnake, Montana, wilderness visitors have high shared agreement that littering and damage to trees in campsites, noise,
and seeing wildlife are very important influences on wilderness experiences. Camping within sight or sound of other people
influences experience quality more than do encounters on the trails. Visitors’ standards of acceptable conditions within wilderness
vary considerably, suggesting a potential need to manage different zones within wilderness for different clientele groups
and experiences. Standards across wildernesses, however, are remarkably similar. 相似文献
2.
Contemporary park and wilderness carrying capacity frameworks rely on formulation of standards of quality, which are defined
as minimum acceptable resource and social conditions. Formulation of standards of quality involves elements of both science
and values, and both of these elements must be integrated into informed judgments on the part of park and wilderness managers.
That is, managers must ultimately make value-based judgments about the maximum acceptable level of visitor-caused impacts
to the resource base and the quality of the visitor experience. However, such judgments should be as informed as possible
by scientific data on the relationships between visitor use and resulting impacts and the degree to which park and wilderness
visitors and other interest groups judge such impacts to be acceptable. Such information represents the “values of science”
to managing carrying capacity in parks and wilderness. A growing body of literature has begun to address the corresponding
“science of values,” and how this type of information might be integrated in park and wilderness management. Visitor-based
research has employed normative theory and techniques to explore the acceptability of a range of resource and social impacts
related to visitor use, and findings from these studies are being integrated into a body of knowledge and applied in management
decision-making. Conceptual and methodological extensions of the normative approach are currently being explored in a variety
of park and wilderness contexts, and new theoretical and empirical approaches are being adapted to address trade-offs inherent
in carrying capacity. In these ways, the science of values is progressing to meet the opportunities and challenges of the
values of science to park and wilderness management. The concept of carrying capacity, along with the theoretical and methodological
approaches described in this paper, can be extended to a large number of natural resource and environmental issues. 相似文献
3.
Human-induced impacts from recreational use of wilderness continue to be a significant management challenge, threatening the integrity of the wilderness resource and the quality of visitor experiences. Campsite impacts are of particular concern to managers. One approach to this problem is the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) planning system, which focuses attention on the question, “How much change in wilderness conditions is acceptable?” The research reported here compares and contrasts wilderness manager and visitor perceptions of theacceptability of different levels of campsite impacts,amount of impact, and perceptual zoning of wilderness. The results reinforce previous findings regarding differences between managers and visitors. Management implications are discussed. 相似文献
4.
Andrew D. Kliskey Christopher C. Hoogsteden Richard K. Morgan 《Journal of Environmental Planning and Management》1994,37(4):431-445
The paper examines the application of a spatial‐perceptual approach to the wilderness management issue of preserving natural ecological processes while also permitting appropriate wilderness use in protected areas. An approach to delimit the spatial extent of multiple perceptions of wilderness held by backcountry users is used—the wilderness perception mapping (WPM) methodology. The results obtained from employing the WPM.methodology are considered for the North West Nelson region of New Zealand. The map product provides new and useful information that has applicability to protected areas management. The role of WPM is discussed with reference to wilderness management in North West Nelson and New Zealand, and to protected areas management in general. The study demonstrates how a technology can be combined with a critical and sensible analysis of needs and procedures to give useful results, and highlights the value of applied interdisciplinary research. 相似文献
5.
Understanding how setting attributes influence the nature of the visitor experience is crucial to effective recreation management.
Highly influential attributes are useful indicators to monitor within a planning framework, such as Limits of Acceptable Change.
This study sought to identify the setting attributes perceived to have the most profound effect on the ability to have “a
real wilderness experience” and to assess the degree to which attribute importance varied with situational context and visitor
characteristics. To this end, exiting hikers were surveyed at moderate and very high use trailheads in Alpine Lakes Wilderness,
WA (USA), and Three Sisters Wilderness, OR (USA). They were asked about the degree to which encountering varying levels of
different setting attributes would add to or detract from their experience. Attributes with the largest range of effect on
experience, based on evaluations of different levels, were considered most important. The most influential attributes were
litter and several types of campsite interaction—people walking through camp and number of other groups camping close by.
The perceived importance of setting attributes did not vary much between wilderness locations with substantially different
use levels, suggesting that conclusions are robust and generalizable across wilderness areas. There also was little difference
in the perceptions of day and overnight visitors. In contrast, we found substantial variation in the perceived importance
of setting attributes with variation in wilderness experience, knowledge, attachment, and motivation. Our results validate
the emphasis of many wilderness management plans on indicators of social interaction, such as number of encounters. 相似文献
6.
Evaluating sustainable forest management strategies with the Analytic Network Process in a Pressure-State-Response framework 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Nowadays forestry faces a complex management situation; the understanding of sustainable forest management (SFM) has gone far beyond the original meaning of sustainable yield of timber. SFM strategies should fulfil ecological, economic and social functions without causing damage to other ecosystems. In this understanding, forest management actions cannot be seen as isolated or mono-causal. In this case study, indicators for SFM are arranged in a Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework at forest management unit level. This framework links pressures on the environment caused by human activities with changes of environmental state (condition) parameters. Forest management also responds to these changes by instituting environmental and economic measures to reduce pressures and restore natural resources. The Analytic Network Process (ANP) is utilized to evaluate the performance of four management strategies with regard to the PSR framework on SFM. Priorities of indicators and alternatives are modelled with the ANP resulting from the interconnections to other indicators and their respective cumulative importance. The approach allows for more detailed information on the network of human influences and their impacts on forest ecosystems and goes beyond the limitations of flat-dimensioned indicator sets. 相似文献
7.
Ecological indicators can facilitate an adaptive management approach, but only if acceptable levels for those indicators have
been defined so that the data collected can be interpreted. Because acceptable levels are an expression of the desired state
of the ecosystem, the process of establishing acceptable levels should incorporate not just ecological understanding but also
societal values. The goal of this research was to explore an approach for defining acceptable levels of ecological indicators
that explicitly considers social perspectives and values. We used a set of eight indicators that were related to issues of
concern in the Lake Champlain Basin. Our approach was based on normative theory. Using a stakeholder survey, we measured respondent
normative evaluations of varying levels of our indicators. Aggregated social norm curves were used to determine the level
at which indicator values shifted from acceptable to unacceptable conditions. For seven of the eight indicators, clear preferences
were interpretable from these norm curves. For example, closures of public beaches because of bacterial contamination and
days of intense algae bloom went from acceptable to unacceptable at 7–10 days in a summer season. Survey respondents also
indicated that the number of fish caught from Lake Champlain that could be safely consumed each month was unacceptably low
and the number of streams draining into the lake that were impaired by storm water was unacceptably high. If indicators that
translate ecological conditions into social consequences are carefully selected, we believe the normative approach has considerable
merit for defining acceptable levels of valued ecological system components. 相似文献
8.
Defining Indicators and Standards for Tourism Impacts in Protected Areas: Cape Range National Park,Australia 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
Visitors’ perceptions of impacts and acceptable standards for environmental conditions can provide essential information for
the sustainable management of tourist destinations, especially protected areas. To this end, visitor surveys were administered
during the peak visitor season in Cape Range National Park, on the northwest coast of Western Australia and adjacent to the
iconic Ningaloo Reef. The central focus was visitors’ perceptions regarding environmental conditions and standards for potential
indicators. Conditions considered of greatest importance in determining visitors’ quality of experience included litter, inadequate
disposal of human waste, presence of wildlife, levels of noise, and access to beach and ocean. Standards were determined,
based on visitors’ perceptions, for a range of site-specific and non-site-specific indicators, with standards for facilities
(e.g., acceptable number of parking bays, signs) and for negative environmental impacts (e.g., levels of littering, erosion)
sought. The proposed standards varied significantly between sites for the facilities indicators; however, there was no significant
difference between sites for environmental impacts. For the facilities, the standards proposed by visitors were closely related
to the existing situation, suggesting that they were satisfied with the status quo. These results are considered in the context
of current research interest in the efficacy of visitor-derived standards as a basis for protected area management. 相似文献
9.
Environmental education and financial support of nature conservation are considered among the primary components of the environmentalist
dimension of ecotourism. The potential of environmental education calls for enhancing visitor environmental knowledge and
prompting change of visitor behavior. The present study addressed the evaluation of the environmentalist dimension of ecotourism
in the Dadia Forest Reserve. The first objective of the research was to study the influence of variables determined prior
to the visit, namely, visitor and visit characteristics, visitor environmental information sources, visitor pro-environmental
behavior, and visitation goals, on variables determined during the visit, that is, visitor participation in and satisfaction
from ecotourism activities. The second objective was to study the effect of selected variables on visitor knowledge and behavior
intentions. Visitor participation in and satisfaction from ecotourism activities were primarily controlled by visit characteristics.
Levels of visitor knowledge were quite satisfactory; however, coherence among knowledge items was rather loose. On the other
hand, behavior intention items revealed the highest possible degree of coherence, which should be attributed to the pervasive
influence of visitor satisfaction from watching birds at the Bird Observatory within the Dadia Forest Reserve. Ecotourism
activities, during which the main part of environmental knowledge was offered, exerted no effect on visitor knowledge; all
the same, they significantly influenced visitor behavior intentions. Overall, visitor behavior intentions revealed a considerable
potential of financing environmental protection and providing voluntary work in the frame of the environmental management
of the Dadia Forest Reserve. 相似文献
10.
Developing a Monitoring Protocol for Visitor-Created Informal Trails in Yosemite National Park,USA 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Informal trails created or perpetuated by visitors is a management challenge in many protected natural areas such as Yosemite
National Park. This is a significant issue as informal trail networks penetrate and proliferate into protected landscapes
and habitats, threatening ecological integrity, aesthetics, and visitor experiences. In order to develop effective strategies
for addressing this problem under an adaptive management framework, indicators must be developed and monitoring protocol must
be established to gather timely and relevant data about the condition, extent, and distribution of these undesired trail segments.
This article illustrates a process of developing and evaluating informal trail indicators for meadows in Yosemite Valley.
Indicator measures developed in past research were reviewed to identify their appropriateness for the current application.
Information gaps in existing indicator measures were addressed by creating two new indices to quantify the degree of informal
trailing based on its land fragmentation effects. The selected indicator measures were applied to monitoring data collected
between 2006 and 2008. The selected measures and indices were evaluated for their ability to characterize informal trail impacts
at site and landscape scales. Results demonstrate the utility of indicator measures in capturing different characteristics
of the informal trail problem, though several metrics are strongly related to each other. The two fragmentation indices were
able to depict fragmentation without being too sensitive to changes in one constituent parameter. This study points to the
need for a multiparameter approach to informal trail monitoring and integration with other monitoring data. Implications for
monitoring programs and research are discussed. 相似文献
11.
Zoning and applying Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) are two promising strategies for managing tourism in Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs). Typically, these management strategies require the collection and integration of ecological and socioeconomic
data. This problem is illustrated by a case study of Koh Chang National Marine Park, Thailand. Biophysical surveys assessed
coral communities in the MPA to derive indices of reef diversity and vulnerability. Social surveys assessed visitor perceptions
and satisfaction with conditions encountered on snorkelling tours. Notably, increased coral mortality caused a significant
decrease in visitor satisfaction. The two studies were integrated to prescribe zoning and “Limits of Acceptable Change” (LAC).
As a biophysical indicator, the data suggest a LAC value of 0.35 for the coral mortality index. As a social indicator, the
data suggest that a significant fraction of visitors would find a LAC value of under 30 snorkellers per site as acceptable.
The draft zoning plan prescribed four different types of zones: (I) a Conservation Zone with no access apart from monitoring
or research; (II) Tourism Zones with high tourism intensities at less vulnerable reefs; (III) Ecotourism zones with a social
LAC standard of <30 snorkellers per site, and (IV) General Use Zones to meet local artisanal fishery needs. This study illustrates
how ecological and socioeconomic field studies in MPAs can be integrated to craft zoning plans addressing multiple objectives. 相似文献
12.
Wilderness managers are charged with the challenging goal of balancing resource protection and experience quality across a broad, value-laden landscape. While research has provided insight into visitors’ motivations and their meanings for wilderness, a struggle exists to implement experiential concepts within current management frameworks. This research posits the human experience of wilderness to be an evolving, enduring relationship, and that research needs can be addressed by conceptualizing and investigating an individuals’ personal wilderness relationship. The purpose of this study was to explore wilderness relationships of visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A predictive model was proposed to investigate the internal dimensions of a visitor’s wilderness relationship. A mail-back questionnaire was distributed during the summer of 2007, resulting in a sample of 564 respondents. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results from testing several relationship models provided support for a multidimensional structure consisting of five factors with a single overarching relationship factor. The preferred relationship model indicated the importance of identities and attachment in place relationships. Trust and commitment toward management were also important considerations. This research provided the preliminary evidence for a multidimensional wilderness relationship model and complements a perspective of wilderness experiences as wilderness. Findings may help to reframe decision-making and public-input processes that guide management actions to increased wilderness character protection and facilitate quality wilderness experiences. 相似文献
13.
Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) is an approach that includes different management priorities and requires a balance between
anthropogenic and ecological resource demands. Indicators can be used to monitor ecosystem status and trends, and assess whether
projects and/or programs are leading to the achievement of management goals. As such, the careful selection of a suite of
indicators is a crucial exercise. In this paper we describe an indicator evaluation and selection process designed to support
the EBM approach in Puget Sound. The first step in this process was the development of a general framework for selecting indicators.
The framework, designed to transparently include both scientific and policy considerations into the selection and evaluation
process, was developed and then utilized in the organization and determination of a preliminary set of indicators. Next, the
indicators were assessed against a set of nineteen distinct criteria that describe the model characteristics of an indicator.
A literature review was performed for each indicator to determine the extent to which it satisfied each of the evaluation
criteria. The result of each literature review was summarized in a numerical matrix, allowing comparison, and demonstrating
the extent of scientific reliability. Finally, an approach for ranking indicators was developed to explore the effects of
intended purpose on indicator selection. We identified several sets of scientifically valid and policy-relevant indicators
that included metrics such as annual-7 day low flow and water system reliability, which are supportive of the EBM approach
in the Puget Sound. 相似文献
14.
15.
Research has found that human-caused noise can detract from the quality of the visitor experience in national parks and related
areas. Moreover, impacts to the visitor experience can be managed by formulating indicators and standards of quality as suggested
in park and outdoor recreation management frameworks, such as Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP), as developed
by the U.S. National Park Service. The research reported in this article supports the formulation of indicators and standards
of quality for human-caused noise at Muir Woods National Monument, California. Phase I identified potential indicators of
quality for the soundscape of Muir Woods. A visitor “listening exercise” was conducted, where respondents identified natural
and human-caused sounds heard in the park and rated the degree to which each sound was “pleasing” or “annoying.” Certain visitor-caused
sounds such as groups talking were heard by most respondents and were rated as annoying, suggesting that these sounds may
be a good indicator of quality. Loud groups were heard by few people but were rated as highly annoying, whereas wind and water
were heard by most visitors and were rated as highly pleasing. Phase II measured standards of quality for visitor-caused noise.
Visitors were presented with a series of 30-second audio clips representing increasing amounts of visitor-caused sound in
the park. Respondents were asked to rate the acceptability of each audio clip on a survey. Findings suggest a threshold at
which visitor-caused sound is judged to be unacceptable, and is therefore considered as noise. A parallel program of sound
monitoring in the park found that current levels of visitor-caused sound sometimes violate this threshold. Study findings
provide an empirical basis to help formulate noise-related indicators and standards of quality in parks and related areas. 相似文献
16.
A Comparison of Urban-Proximate and Urban-Distant Wilderness Users on Selected Variables 总被引:1,自引:1,他引:0
Alan W. Ewert 《Environmental management》1998,22(6):927-935
/ The underlying premise of this study is that wilderness areas attract visitors desiring or expecting different wilderness experiences. In this study, wilderness areas were dichotomized according to distance from a large urban center (urban-proximate vs urban-distant). Four wilderness areas in southern California were used as the study sites. Comparisons were made on selected attributes commonly associated with the wilderness experience. Differences were observed on a number of variables such as acceptable number and type of encounters with other visitors, management preferences, and preferred group sizes. The findings of this study are congruent with those from previous studies and suggest that distance to large urban centers may be a functional variable in explaining differences among selected wilderness attributes.KEY WORDS: Expectancy theory; Normative standards; Wilderness; Wilderness experience; Urbanization 相似文献
17.
Ecological impacts associated with nature-based recreation and tourism can compromise park and protected area goals if left unrestricted. Protected area agencies are increasingly incorporating indicator-based management frameworks into their management plans to address visitor impacts. Development of indicators requires empirical evaluation of indicator measures and examining their ecological and social relevance. This study addresses the development of the informal trail indicator in Yosemite National Park by spatially characterizing visitor use in open landscapes and integrating use patterns with informal trail condition data to examine their spatial association. Informal trail and visitor use data were collected concurrently during July and August of 2011 in three, high-use meadows of Yosemite Valley. Visitor use was clustered at statistically significant levels in all three study meadows. Spatial data integration found no statistically significant differences between use patterns and trail condition class. However, statistically significant differences were found between the distance visitors were observed from informal trails and visitor activity type with active activities occurring closer to trail corridors. Gender was also found to be significant with male visitors observed further from trail corridors. Results highlight the utility of integrated spatial analysis in supporting indicator-based monitoring and informing management of open landscapes. Additional variables for future analysis and methodological improvements are discussed. 相似文献
18.
Yoshitaka Oishi 《Environmental management》2013,51(6):1126-1136
Trail settings in national parks are essential management tools for improving both ecological conservation efforts and the quality of visitor experiences. This study proposes a plan for the appropriate maintenance of trails in Chubusangaku National Park, Japan, based on the recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) approach. First, we distributed 452 questionnaires to determine park visitors’ preferences for setting a trail (response rate = 68 %). Respondents’ preferences were then evaluated according to the following seven parameters: access, remoteness, naturalness, facilities and site management, social encounters, visitor impact, and visitor management. Using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis, the visitors were classified into seven groups. Last, we classified the actual trails according to the visitor questionnaire criteria to examine the discrepancy between visitors’ preferences and actual trail settings. The actual trail classification indicated that while most developed trails were located in accessible places, primitive trails were located in remote areas. However, interestingly, two visitor groups seemed to prefer a well-conserved natural environment and, simultaneously, easily accessible trails. This finding does not correspond to a premise of the ROS approach, which supposes that primitive trails should be located in remote areas without ready access. Based on this study’s results, we propose that creating trails, which afford visitors the opportunity to experience a well-conserved natural environment in accessible areas is a useful means to provide visitors with diverse recreation opportunities. The process of data collection and analysis in this study can be one approach to produce ROS maps for providing visitors with recreational opportunities of greater diversity and higher quality. 相似文献
19.
Assessing Anchor Damage on Coral Reefs: A Case Study in Selection of Environmental Indicators 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Because environmental conservation can remove
scarce natural resources from competing uses, it is important to gain support for conservation programs by demonstrating that management actions have been effective in achieving their goals. One way to do this is to show that selected significant environmental variables (indicators) vary between managed and unmanaged areas or change over time following implementation of a management regime. However, identifying indicators that reflect environmental conditions relevant to management practices has proven difficult. This paper focuses on developing a framework for choosing indicators in a coral reef habitat. The framework consisted of three phases: (1) information gathering to identify candidate variables; (2) field-testing candidate variables at sites that differ in intensity of human activity, thus identifying potential indicators; and (3) evaluating potential indicators against a set of feasibility criteria to identify the most useful indicators. To identify indicators suitable to measure the success of a management strategy to reduce anchor damage to a coral reef, 24 candidate variables were identified and evaluated at sites with different intensities of anchoring. In this study, measures that reflected injuries to coral colonies were generally more efficient than traditional measures of coral cover in describing the effects of anchoring. The number of overturned colonies was identified as the single most useful indicator of coral reef condition associated with anchoring intensities. The indicator selection framework developed here has the advantages of being transparent, cost efficient, and readily transferable to other types of human activities and management strategies. 相似文献
20.
Choosing Indicators of Natural Resource Condition: A Case Study in Arches National Park, Utah, USA 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
Jayne Belnap 《Environmental management》1998,22(4):635-642
/ Heavy visitor use in many areas of the world have necessitated development of ways to assess visitation impacts. Arches National Park recently completed a Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) plan. Integral to this plan was developing a method to identify biological indicators that would both measure visitor impacts and response to management actions. The process used in Arches for indicator selection is outlined here as a model applicableto many areas facing similar challenges. The steps were: (1) Vegetation types most used by visitors were identified. Impacted and unimpacted areas in these types were sampled, comparing vegetation and soil factors. (2) Variables found to differ significantly between compared sites were used as potential indicators. (3) Site-specific criteria for indicators were developed, and potential indicators evaluated using these criteria. (4) Chosen indicators were further researched for ecological relevancy. (5) Final indicators were chosen, field tested, and monitoring sites designated. In Arches, indicators were chosen for monitoring annually (soil crust index, soil compaction, number of used social trails and soil aggregate stability) and every five years (vegetation cover and frequency; ground cover; soil chemistry; and plant tissue chemistry).KEY WORDS: Biological indicators; Recreation impacts; Recreation management; Desert soils; Trampling 相似文献