Tourism in the high north: Management challenges and recreation opportunity spectrum planning in Svalbard,Norway

The Arctic is subject to considerable pressure from a rapidly expanding world tourism industry and increasing demands for oil and gas resources. The archipelago of Svalbard in the Norwegian high arctic contains the most accessible islands in the entire Arctic, but despite extensive use of the resources, they still contain some of the last true wilderness lands in Europe. The growth in tourism with visitors from all parts of the world combined with coal mining and oil and gas exploration call for a coordinated environmental policy. A research-based management plan for tourism and recreation has now been developed. Some management problems were encountered in designing a recreation opportunity spectrum plan for this extremely vulnerable environment. Although Svalbard in many ways is a unique area, the challenges to management are comparable to those found in regions further south.     

Managing brown bears and wilderness recreation on the Kenai Peninsula,Alaska, USA

The Russian River-Cooper Lake-Resurrection River trail system, on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, traverses essential brown bear habitat. To set management guidelines for this area, the trail system was monitored using questionnaire cards and electronic trail counters from 1984 through 1987. This helped to determine the extent and type of human use and human-bear encounters in the area. Management recommendations were intended to reduce the potential displacement of brown bears by hikers and to inform wilderness users of the proper camping techniques to avoid attracting bears to the campsite. An average of 5800 visitors hiked or camped along the trail system each year. Encounters between hikers and brown bears averaged 7/yr while encounters with black bears averaged 35/yr. Minor problems occurred with both the electronic trail counters and the questionnaire. Modilications to these methods are discussed. A Limits of Acceptable Change format should be considered for the trail system to determine the character and future direction of recreational activities and monitoring of the trail system should continue in the future.     

Influence of ethnicity on recreation and natural environment use patterns: Managing recreation sites for ethnic and racial diversity

Management of natural environment sites is becoming increasingly complex because of the influx of urbanized society into wildland areas. This worldwide phenomenon impacts a wide range of countries. In southern California ethnicity is often a major factor influencing recreation site use and behavior at sites in the wildland-urban interface. This study investigated the role of ethnicity and race on the use patterns, perception of environment, and recreation behaviors at an outdoor recreation site visited by an ethnically diverse population. Two research questions were asked: (1) What ethnic groups engage in outdoor recreation at this site, and (2) what differences can be assigned to these various groups? Data were collected from 250 recreationists during 1991. Three major ethnic groups were identified, and statistically significant differences were found in the importance of site attributes, activity participation, and in preferred and actual communication channels. Management implications and strategies based on group differences are discussed.     

The costs of congestion and wilderness recreation

Existing research on the effects of congestion in wilderness areas suffers from problems associated with asking people directly what they would be willing to pay to avoid congestion under hypothetical circumstances. The work reported here is based on methodologies that infer conclusions from observed behavior. Two inferential methodologies are used to examine visitors' willingness to pay at three California wilderness areas during peak and off-peak use periods. Inferential methodologies do not provide unambiguous measures of consumer surplus. However, they do yield the conclusion that, with the exception of a relatively few individuals, solitude is not of overriding importance. Convenience of timing and the attributes of different wilderness areas appear to be more important than congestion.     

Tourism and wetland conservation: application of travel cost and willingness to pay an entry fee at Ghodaghodi Lake Complex,Nepal

This study investigated the need and applicability of wetland tourism for resource conservation, using the case of Ghodaghodi Lake Complex, a Ramsar Site in western Nepal. The travel cost method (TCM) was used to determine the recreation potential of the lake complex, while the contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to calculate willingness of visitors to pay an entry fee as a payment vehicle for conservation. The per capita travel cost was found to be NPR 540 (US $7.71), while the mean willingness to pay an entry fee was NPR 34 (US $0.48) per visitor per entry. In addition, factors affecting wetland visitation rates and maximum willingness to pay were identified. Policy implications include the establishment of an entry fee system to offset conservation budgetary constraints, government investment in social benefits equating to at least per capita travel cost identified, and public‐private partnerships, with community participation in tourism promotion and wetland conservation.     

Capabilities and management utility of recreation impact monitoring programs

A recreation impact monitoring system was developed and applied in 1984–1986 and in 1991 to all backcountry river-accessed campsites within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Results suggest that actions implemented by park managers in response to problems identified by the initial survey were highly effective in reducing resource degradation caused by camping. In particular, the elimination of some designated campsites and installation of anchored firegrates reduced the total area of disturbance by 50%. Firegrate installation provided a focal point that increased the concentration of camping activities, allowing peripheral areas to recover. As suggested by predictive models, additional resource degradation caused by increased camping intensities is more than offset by improvements in the condition of areas where use is eliminated. The capabilities and management utility of recreation impact monitoring programs, illustrated by the Delaware Water Gap monitoring program, are also presented and discussed.     

玉.玉文化.旅游

开发旅游新产品，是促进我国旅游业不断迈上新台阶需要研究解决的问题之一。本文通过作者实施踏勘和检索有关文献，阐述了玉的种类及其主要产地的状况，并揭示它新蕴涵的文化内容。     

淮北市旅游资源特征、功能分区及线路布局

发展旅游业有利于优化煤炭资源面临枯竭的淮北市的经济结构,广开就业门路,美化城市环境,塑造城市新形象.通过对淮北市旅游资源总体特征的评价分析,设计出该市旅游发展的功能分区以及旅游线路布局,为淮北市旅游业的深度开发和合理利用提供科学依据.     

Reconciling economic development,nature conservation and local communities: strategies for biodiversity conservation in Xishuangbanna,China

Summary The State Council of China has adopted Agenda 21for China and biodiversity conservation is one plank of its agenda for China's sustainable development. This paper offers a brief discussion of China's White Paper on Agenda 21 and examines, as a case study, the problem of sustaining biological diversity in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. This area is rated as one of megadiversity, and therefore, as one deserving a high priority for conservation purposes. After discussing the general socio-economic obstacles to biodiversity conservation in Xishuangbanna, the article outlines the types of strategies adopted in China for reducing pressures of local communities on biodiversity and nature conservation. China's preferred strategy for easing pressures on biodiversity conservation in nature reserves is to improve economic opportunities outside of the reserves and raise the income levels of people living in the neighbourhood of the reserves. This approach has been adopted in Xishuangbanna and there are plans to extend it. Community development projects such as agroforestry, joint ventures in tourism and so on are being encouraged. Mechanisms for selecting suitable community development projectse.g. using rapid rural appraisal (RRA), are considered. Without economic development at the local level, plans for biodiversity conservation are unlikely to succeed in China or for that matter elsewhere in the developing world.Dr Clem Tisdell is Professor and Head of Department of Economics at the University of Queensland. Zhu Xiang may be contacted at The World Bank Loan Project, Ministry of Forestry, Beijing 100714, PR of China. This paper represents a revised version of an article presented to the International Conference: China's Economy Towards 2000, held at La Trobe University, Melbourne, 14–15 February 1995.     

Forest value orientations and importance of forest recreation services

This study employs the notion of environmental value orientations as an approach to examine the relationships between forest value orientations and demand on services available in the National Forest Recreation Areas in Taiwan. Data for this investigation were collected from on-site, off-site, and online surveys (n = 1919). Statistical results suggest that the authorities should highlight the role of Taiwanese forest as public property with aesthetic, historic, and cultural values, and the use of more comprehensive dimensions of environmental value orientations is warranted when using value-related variables to address natural resource management issues. The correlation evidence of service demands of tourists with different forest value orientations indicates that the authorities should focus on maintaining and improving basic services available in the National Forest Recreation Areas.     

Phosphorus resources,their depletion and conservation,a review

Yearly, about 22 × 10¹² g phosphorus (P) from mined fossil phosphate resources are added to the world economy. The size of remaining fossil phosphate resources is uncertain but practically finite. Thus, fossil P resources may become depleted by ongoing mining. Despite calls for resource conservation, fossil P resources have been depleted at an increasing rate. Geographically, fossil P supply and demand are distributed in an increasingly uneven way, which has geopolitical consequences and may well affect security of supply. Current use of P gives rise to negative environmental impacts due to P losses from the economy and contaminants derived from fossil P resources. There may also be negative impacts on human health. Reducing the demand for fossil phosphorus may reduce environmental burdens and may improve the future security of supply. Technically speaking, there is much scope for the reduction of current demand for fossil P resources. Limiting consumption of P to essential uses, increased efficiency of agricultural use and increased recycling of P may substantially contribute to the reduction of demand for fossil P resources. Recycling of P has to face concerns regarding the efficiency of P recovery, pathogenic organisms and contaminating substances. Much work remains to be done to effectively address those concerns.     

Economic growth,biodiversity loss and conservation effort

This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth, biodiversity loss and efforts to conserve biodiversity using a combination of panel and cross section data. If economic growth is a cause of biodiversity loss through habitat transformation and other means, then we would expect an inverse relationship. But if higher levels of income are associated with increasing real demand for biodiversity conservation, then investment to protect remaining diversity should grow and the rate of biodiversity loss should slow with growth. Initially, economic growth and biodiversity loss are examined within the framework of the environmental Kuznets hypothesis. Biodiversity is represented by predicted species richness, generated for tropical terrestrial biodiversity using a species-area relationship. The environmental Kuznets hypothesis is investigated with reference to comparison of fixed and random effects models to allow the relationship to vary for each country. It is concluded that an environmental Kuznets curve between income and rates of loss of habitat and species does not exist in this case. The role of conservation effort in addressing environmental problems is examined through state protection of land and the regulation of trade in endangered species, two important means of biodiversity conservation. This analysis shows that the extent of government environmental policy increases with economic development. We argue that, although the data are problematic, the implications of these models is that conservation effort can only ever result in a partial deceleration of biodiversity decline partly because protected areas serve multiple functions and are not necessarily designated to protect biodiversity. Nevertheless institutional and policy response components of the income biodiversity relationship are important but are not well captured through cross-country regression analysis.     

Nature conservation,countryside strategies and strategic planning

Countryside strategies, particularly for nature conservation, are part of a growth in non‐statutory strategic planning. They are largely integrative, and set the context for, and are able to cover subjects normally beyond the scope of, statutory development plans. Specifically for nature conservation, this paper summarizes the limitations of policies in structure plans and reviews four countryside strategies to assess the extent to which they overcome these limitations. Whilst providing a renewed focus for nature conservation, such strategies lack information and guidance in assisting plan formulation, are not accountable, have problems in their adoptability and lack the resources for implementation.     

Bordeaux: urban renovation,conservation and rehabilitation

Over the past thirty years Bordeaux's politicians and planners have played critical roles in both changing and conserving the inner environments of one of France's most attractive provincial cities. A succession of urban policies has been implemented to attempt to halt depopulation, economic decline and environmental degradation in the inner city. These policies reflect changing emphasis in national planning for urban areas and have ranged from slum clearance and total renovation in the Mériadeck district, to a recent more socially aware set of approaches that attempt to rehabilitate inner‐city housing and promote neighbourhood well‐being in the district of Saint Michel. Investment in architectural conservation continues apace and both private and public capital is being directed to improving housing stock in the inner city. Attempts to revitalise economic activities have achieved modest success but more socially orientated policies prove difficult to implement.     

Valuing nature-based recreation in public natural areas of the Apalachicola River region, Florida

As more people visit natural areas for tourism and recreation purposes, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the value they place on these natural resources. Specifically, tourists to Florida have been increasingly interested in visiting natural areas, forests, parks, and preserves-highlighting the importance of this new and growing phenomenon. We analyze visitors' demand for nature-based recreation in the Apalachicola River region of Florida using the travel cost method. The results from a count data regression model reveal that on average visitors would pay 74.18 dollars per visit-day for nature-based recreation resulting in a total economic value of 484.56 million dollars attributable to nature-based recreation in the Apalachicola River region. Results of this study provide useful information for natural resources management in the region and a rationale to preserve Florida's unique ecosystems.     

Spatial patterns of recreation impact on experimental campsites

Management of camping impacts in protected areas worldwide is limited by inadequate understanding of spatial patterns of impact and attention to spatial management strategies. Spatial patterns of campsite impact were studied in two subalpine plant communities in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming, USA (a forest and a meadow). Response to chronic disturbance and recovery from acute disturbance were both assessed. Previously undisturbed sites were camped on at intensities of one and four nights/year, for either one or three consecutive years. Recovery was followed for three years on sites camped on for one year. Percent bare ground, assessed in 49 contiguous 1 m2 quadrats, increased with increasing use frequency, particularly on the forest sites. Magnitude of impact varied spatially within campsites, with impact decreasing as distance from the center of the campsite increased. On the more fragile forest sites, this radial impact pattern developed rapidly and remained after three years of recovery. Concentration of camping activities around a centrally located small cooking stove was the apparent cause of this pattern. Maximum variation in magnitude of impact occurred at intermediate levels of campsite use and disturbance. The magnitude, variability and spatial pattern of impact varied with the spatial scale of analysis. Generally, results of these controlled experiments are consistent with earlier studies of campsites and validate the management implications derived from those studies. Even where campers use low-impact techniques, low levels of camping use can cause substantial impact and it is important to concentrate use. On resistant sites, however, it is possible that low levels of use can be sustained with minimal resultant impact.     

由极限概念的教学谈数学再创造

从在教学中对极限概念的表述方式的改造出发,提出了数学的再创造。通过再创造活动,寻求数学理论的最佳反映方式,形成最优化的教学过程,从而达到最好的教学效果。     

Economic degradation, conservation and allocation of water resources

Economic stagnation and hyper-inflation, in part the result of the need to service huge foreign debts, have taken their toll on the infrastructure and government institutions of Latin America. Both have been starved of financial resources. In some ways the water sector has been affected more than others because water and the environment are seen as free public goods which can be used without regard to cost. Even though internal financial resources are limited there are still opportunities to address the water and environmental problem at the national level, and some recommendations are made in this regard. Nevertheless, major inputs from the developed countries will be needed because the protection of environment and water resources is both a national and global issue.