Gesäuse National Park – a rugged wilderness. eco.mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research)|eco.mont Vol. 2 No. 1 2 1|

200 years ago, the natural beauty of the Gesäuse region, the contrast between the river Enns and the sheer rock faces of Gesäuse mountains with their diverse habitats and species, already attracted researchers and mountaineers to this area in the heart of Austria. As early as 1958, the Gesäuse and the valley of the river Enns leading out of it were designated as the first conservation area in Styria. Persisting plans for hydroelectric power generation on the Enns eventually led to the creation of a national park in 2002

Exploring factors in influencing the attitude of on-site ski mountaineers towards the ski touring management measures of the Gesäuse National Park. eco.mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research)|eco.mont Vol. 2 No. 1 2 1|

This study investigated factors influencing the attitude of on-site ski tourers towards the ski touring management measures recently implemented by the Gesäuse National Park for two ski tours in the Johnsbach valley in order to protect capercaillie and black grouse. Most of the respondents (n = 550) were long-standing regular day visitors frequently visiting the Johnsbach valley for ski touring. The majority of them were not aware of ski touring management measures. Two thirds of those who knew about it saw it as a useful concept. The regression analysis identified attitudes towards environmental impacts of ski touring, motives for ski touring, area dependence, perceived constraints to the individuals recreational activities and past experience as factors explaining the attitude towards the concept. From our findings we derived implications for the management of protected areas

Social carrying capacity of canoeists in Austria´s Danube Floodplains National Park

Section: Sustainability and carrying capacity studies in recreational setting