Recent research has emphasized the need to professionally manage campsites for long-term use, particularly in light of rising visitation to natural protected areas worldwide. Camping regulations vary considerably along the length of any long-distance trail due to the many land types and management agencies involved. Large proportions of long-distance trails have at-large camping policies, resulting in camping problems associated with visitor-chosen or developed campsites. Several long-term monitoring studies in areas with at-large camping policies indicate the expansion and proliferation of individual campsites, and growth of overall camping related impacts, to be a substantial managerial concern. This research evaluates the relative influence of environmental and topographic factors, both collected in the field and modeled in GIS using high-resolution topography (LiDAR) data, on areal measures of campsite impact utilizing Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) penalized regression for factor selection and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) for regressions. Chosen variables in regressions explained 64% of the variation in campsite size and 61% of the variation in the area of vegetation loss on a campsite. Results indicate four variables managers can utilize to enhance the sustainability of campsites: use level, overnight site type, and terrain characteristics relating to slope and topographic roughness. Results support indirect management methods that rely on the design and location of campsites and trails and not the effectiveness of enforcement or restricting visitor freedom. In the face of rising use, techniques and concepts presented aid in identifying or creating ecologically sustainable campsites. / Master of Science / Many land management agencies, both in the U.S. and internationally, have dual, competing objectives related to the sustainability of recreation: one to protect the quality of natural resources and one to provide for recreational access and experiences. Increasing visitation has the potential to negatively impact natural resources and threaten the quality of visitors’ experiences on public lands. The majority of recreation impacts occur as a result of visitors spending time on or near recreation sites (e.g. campsites or vistas) or visitors traveling between these recreation sites on trail corridors. A widely accepted and practiced key strategy for managing trail systems is containing use to a sustainably designed and managed formal trail system. Campsites are also key infrastructure for recreational uses, however many protected areas have an inventory of campsites that are mostly visitor selected and created, and are excessively large due to site expansion and present in excessive numbers due to site proliferation. While the practice of closing undesirable campsites is common in many managed areas, emphasis on actively shifting use to campsites selected or designed for sustainability has been largely ignored. Study objectives were to identify which use-related, environmental, and managerial factors significantly contribute to limiting areal impacts on campsites and to understand the relative influence of each. Field collected data of a 10% sample of campsites along the Appalachian Trail were used in conjunction with data generated using high-resolution elevation data to look at which characteristics relate to areal impacts using multiple regression. Chosen variables in regressions explained 64% of the variation in campsite size and 61% of the variation in the area of vegetation loss on a campsite. Results indicate four variables managers can utilize to enhance the sustainability of campsites: use level, overnight site type, and terrain characteristics relating to slope and topographic roughness. Results support indirect management methods that rely on the design and location of campsites and trails and not the effectiveness of enforcement or restricting visitor freedom. Techniques and concepts presented aid in identifying and creating ecologically sustainable campsites.

[pt] A Mata Atlântica representa uma das regiões mais biodiversas e únicas do planeta e atualmente restam menos de 25 por cento de sua cobertura original. O Caminho da Mata Atlântica (CMA) é uma iniciativa de conservação que tem como missão engajar a sociedade na conservação e recuperação do bioma, por meio de atividades ao ar livre e da conexão de áreas naturais ao longo de uma trilha de longo curso (TLC). As TLC s, por sua vez, têm sido mundialmente reconhecidas como importantes ferramentas de conservação da biodiversidade e dos ecossistemas, uma vez que formam grandes corredores ecológicos. As rodovias são uma das principais causas de fragmentação de habitats naturais em todo o mundo e pioram ainda mais a situação de isolamento de áreas no bioma. Para mitigar os impactos negativos das estradas, algumas medidas compensatórias podem ser implementadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a legislação ambiental existente no âmbito federal e estadual do Rio de Janeiro relativa à restauração florestal, ao licenciamento ambiental e à concessão de rodovias, com o intuito de trabalhar estratégias para reduzir os impactos causados pela existência dessas estradas nas proximidades do traçado do CMA. Como resultado, podemos dizer que são poucos os contratos que trazem inovações nesse sentido. Considerando as graves consequências causadas pela fragmentação de habitats para a biodiversidade, é de extrema importância que seja dada mais atenção à construção das condicionantes de licença e das medidas compensatórias presentes nos contratos de concessão. O CMA pode ser uma solução, de forma a aumentar a conectividade entre os fragmentos e consolidar a trilha como um grande corredor funcional para a conservação da biodiversidade. / [en] The Atlantic Forest represents one of the most biodiverse and unique regions on planet Earth and less than 25 percent of its original coverage currently remains. The Atlantic Forest Trail (CMA) is a conservation initiative whose mission is to engage society in the conservation and recovery of the biome, through outdoor activities and the connection of natural areas along a long-distance trail. These, in turn, have been recognized worldwide as important tools for conserving biodiversity and ecosystems, as they form large ecological corridors. Highways are one of the main causes of fragmentation of natural habitats around the world and further worsen the situation of isolated areas in the biome. To mitigate the negative impacts of roads, some compensatory measures can be implemented, such as the creation of ecological corridors, based on forest restoration. The objective of this study was to analyze the existing environmental legislation at the federal and Rio de Janeiro state levels regarding forest restoration, environmental licensing and highway concessions, with the aim of working on strategies to reduce the impacts caused by the existence of these roads nearby the CMA route. As a result, we can say that few agreements bring innovations in this sense. Considering the serious consequences for biodiversity caused by habitats fragmentation, it is extremely important to give more attention to the construction of license conditions and compensatory measures present in concession agreements. CMA can be a solution, in order to increase connectivity between the fragments and consolidate the trail as a large functional corridor for biodiversity conservation.