The importance of spatial nested data in understanding the relationship between visitor use and landscape impacts |
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| Institution: | 1. Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;2. Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT 01507, USA;1. Kansas State University, United States;2. Clemson University, United States;3. U.S. National Park Service, United States;1. Department of Geosciences, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO, 81301, United States;2. Department of Geography, University of Utah, 332 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, United States;3. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, 5775 Highway 10 West, Missoula, MT, 59808, United States |
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| Abstract: | As managers and researchers of protected natural areas continue to seek balance in promoting visitor use but limiting negative experiential and natural resource impacts, the integration of social and physical spatial data may play a critical role in understanding how visitors and the community interface with the landscape within these protected areas. These spatial considerations are important for inventorying, monitoring, and managing the conditions of natural resources within parks. Specifically related to the visitor impacts of natural resources in parks are the use and condition of multiple-use trails. Technology such as GPS and GIS may allow for a unique assessment of the relationship between factors that influence this resource. This paper focuses on how visitor use distribution (measured through GPS tracking), activity type, and trail design influence the impacts to trail conditions. This paper also addresses statistical concerns related to spatial dependency. Results suggest that failure to account for spatial dependency can lead to erroneous Type I findings. Additionally, activity type (specifically horseback riders) and trail design were found to best predict trail impacts when controlling for spatial dependency. |
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| Keywords: | GPS tracking Visitor impacts Recreation ecology Trail management Protected natural areas GIS Spatial dependency |
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