A GIS approach towards estimating tourist's off-road use in a mountainous protected area of Northwest Yunnan, China

To address the environmental impacts of tourism in protected areas, park managers need to understand the spatial distribution of tourist use. Standard monitoring measures (tourist surveys and counting and tracking techniques) are not sufficient to accomplish this task, in particular for off-road travel. This article predicts tourists' spatial use patterns through an alternative approach: park accessibility measurement. Naismith's rule and geographical information system's anisotropic cost analysis are integrated into the modeling process, which results in a more realistic measure of off-road accessibility than that provided by other measures. The method is applied to a mountainous United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in northwest Yunnan Province, China, where there is increasing concern about potential impacts of unregulated tourist use. Based on the assumption that accessibility tends to attract more tourists, a spatial pattern of predicted off-road use by tourists is derived. This pattern provides information that can help park managers develop strategies that are effective for both tourism management and species conservation

Tourism Professionals Profile: Theme Park Managers

Theme park managers are a unique group of tourism managers. Their perspectives on effective tourism management skills and abilities differ from some public sector tourism managers. The authors present the results of a study focusing on theme park managers and compare these results with those of other tourism manager group

Meeting the challenges of urban park management: A Study of Two Sites: a thesis completed and submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

There are key environmental and management issues relevant to protected areas and national parks apparent world-wide such as: management of environmental quality, biodiversity conservation, management of visitor use and impacts, allocation of access, law enforcement and monitoring, facility design, park financial viability, and community development. Today, the trend has changed towards more specific and strategic management plans. Greater emphasis is put towards meeting targets and objectives and park managers are encouraged to have a direct hand in the preparation of management plans. Visitor impact is also creating problems in park management that was unforeseen in the past. The management of visitors may be viewed as an integral part of the operational network of service tasks, service standards, and service delivery systems of recreation sites. Comprehensive planning and on-going monitoring underpin much of the success in visitor management. Whether park management decides to use tools such as hardening, hedging, or flexing, controlling numbers and type of visitor, interpretation/information education, or even a combination of these, the vital ingredient is to have a framework for visitor management. Collaborative management is not a new approach and is the most recommended technique to achieve most management objectives within protected areas today. Collaborative management stands on the concept of "common good." Because it is a process, collaborative management requires on-going review and improvement. Its most important result is not a management plan but a management partnership that is capable of effectively responding to various needs and addressing boundless problems. In the Philippines where there is more uncertainty about protected areas management, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has the primary responsibility for the establishment and management of protected areas. The Quezon Memorial National Park, classified as a strictly protected area and whose management objectives are categorized as a national park, is one example. Two urban parks that originally formed part of QMNP are the subjects of this study. This research compares and evaluates the management schemes of these parks based on: (a) park management, (b) visitor management, and (c) biodiversity conservation against the criteria set by international and local guidelines. It also makes recommendations on how to effect changes in the management of these urban parks to achieve environmental conservation goals

Sea-level rise and vanishing coastal parks: A call to action for park managers and leaders

A "Coloring Outside the Lines" editorial column

Adapting natural resource management to climate change on the Olympic Peninsula

Climate change presents a major challenge to natural resource managers both because of the magnitude of potential effects of climate change on ecosystem structure, process, and function, and because of the uncertainty associated with those potential ecological effects. Concrete ways to adapt to climate change are needed to help natural resource managers take the first steps to incorporate climate change into management and take advantage of opportunities to balance the negative effects of climate change. We initiated a climate change adaptation case study at Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park to determine how to adapt management of federal lands on the Olympic Peninsula to climate change. As a part of the case study process, we conducted a vulnerability assessment that involved a review of available climate model projections to determine likely levels of exposure to climate change on the Olympic Peninsula, and a review of relevant literature and available effects model projections to identify likely climate change sensitivities in each of four focus areas on the Olympic Peninsula, including hydrology and roads, fish, vegetation, and wildlife. We also identified management constraints at the forest and park to evaluate some aspects of institutional capacity to implement adaptive actions. The vulnerability assessment process set the stage for development of adaptation options through scientist-manager workshops. 

The case study process produced concrete adaptation options for Olympic National Forest and Park and illustrated the utility of place-based vulnerability assessments and scientist-manager workshops in adapting to climate change. A key finding of the assessment was that the current general management at the forest and park, with restoration as a primary goal, is consistent with managing for resilience to prepare ecosystems for a changing climate. However, the effort highlighted some potential issues related to climate change that challenge current precepts and management guidelines, and helped to identify new potential actions, and actions that could be increased and re-prioritized. For example, the case study process identified numerous ways to maintain ecosystem function and biodiversity, and increase resilience to climate change. However, the looming questions of when to consider assisted migration or when and how to redefine exotic species remain for discussion. Although questions remain, the case study process was an essential first step for Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park in preparing for climate change. The process used and ideas produced can be used to help other natural resource managers in adapting to climate change. 
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Standards for Tourism Management Success: U.S. National Park Managers

National park managers are the subjects in the fifth segment of a study examining the skills and abilities needed to be successful tourism managers. The authors discuss these skills and their impact on successful tourism management

VISITORS PERCEPTION ON VANDALISM AND SAFETY ISSUES IN A MALAYSIAN URBAN PARK

The purpose of this research is to identify and understand vandalism issues that occur in the selected case study site as well as to determine characteristics of the surrounding landscape associated with vandalism hotspots, and to justify safe environments in park areas. Questionnaire survey was conducted and specifically studies an urban park in the city of Shah Alam in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The research indicated that people perceived vandalism to occur because of the opportunities provided by the surroundings, user behaviour, lack of security and enforcement, lack of maintenance and inspection, location and design of the facilities, and the materials used for such facilities. This research is very important because there is no other known research about perceptions of vandalism from Malaysian local park visitors’ point of view, it should help planners, park designers and park managers in local or city councils in Malaysia, as well as the general public, to understand and expand their knowledge of vandalism in urban parks.Parks, Urban park, Vandalism, Safety, Park Management

National park research fellowships increase capacity and creativity in responding to climate change

The challenges posed by climate change in national parks and other protected areas demand creative approaches, new ideas, and experiments that are beyond the capacity of any single park or agency staff. Research fellowships provide a critical way that the National Park Service (NPS) and its partners can address the agency’s needs to address climate change adaptation challenges. At least 30 such programs support stewardship-relevant science in national parks. Some national programs and initiatives at Acadia National Park in Maine, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California serve as examples of how researchers in these programs are informing restoration, relocation, vegetation and fire management, and resource protection activities; documenting change that has already occurred; providing baseline data on biodiversity; and conducting novel experiments. Successful fellowship programs have strong engagement of resource managers, emphasize communication with management and public audiences, and incorporate ongoing support and evaluation. As a result of these successes, NPS and partners are working to expand and strengthen the sustainability and effectiveness of research grants and fellowships

Standard operational procedure : video-monitoring of sessile benthic communities : a report to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Information on changes in the abundance and distribution of organisms in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is essential for managers and scientists who wish to understand the ecological processes occurring on the reef and how these processes may be affected by human activities. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) have jointly developed a strategy for the monitoring of long-term, regional changes in major biota and nutrients in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The program was established with two broadscale objectives: To detect and quantify major changes through time in the distribution and abundance of corals (and other dominant organisms), fishes, nutrients, and the crown-of-thorns starfish. 2 To provide managers (and other decision-makers) with information that is pertinent to assessing the 'health' of the Great Barrier Reef

Look before planting: using smokewater as an inventory tool to predict the soil seed bank and inform ecological management and restoration

This study tested the efficacy of smokewater to determine the potential germination from soil seed bank in three management sites of the same National Park: a forest site prior to restoration, an ex-pine plantation site and an ex-mine site. This will provide further information to land managers so that more accurate planning can occur. Results showed that smokewater significantly increased the germination from the soil seed bank, and significant differences in the level of germination of weed species from the soil seed bank were seen between the three management sites. This use of smokewater may be a useful tool to help predict differences in the soil seed bank compared with predicting soil seed bank based on land-use history and recent condition