Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Ryan L. Sharp / The need to balance increasing recreation demands with resource conservation in parks and protected areas presents a challenge for land managers. Managing recreational use of vast land and river areas often encompasses concerns about increasing numbers of recreation visitors, including horse riders. These increases in visitor use may cause adverse impacts to natural resources. A typical outdoor recreation activity, like horse riding, can lead to such impacts as soil erosion, compaction, damage to vegetation, wildlife disturbance, and water pollution. Parks and protected areas require diligent monitoring of these impacts. Along with biophysical impacts, potential social conflicts usually revolve around shared trail use with other horse riders, mountain bikers, and/or hikers. Self-administered questionnaires were given to recreationists (i.e., horse riders) at Ozark National Scenic Riverways (OZAR) in Missouri, U.S.A. Data were collected about levels and patterns of visitor activities on trails at OZAR via stratified random sample at multiple locations, times of day, days of the week and time of year (e.g. summer and fall), thus capturing a representative sample of the riders throughout the whole park. The study examined horse riders’ perceptions of potential management scenarios regarding horse riding trails. Additionally, experience use history data at OZAR were collected. The objective of the research was to explore management options when looking at seasonality, temporal differences, experiential level and the perceived severity of the actions to horse riders at OZAR. The Potential for Conflict Index was used for measuring the potential for conflict between users at different times of the week and times of year (e.g. summer and fall), as well as between horse riders and managers (through proposed management actions). This study sought to help inform park and protected area managers about horse riders’ perceptions of potential management actions and the potential for conflict related to said management actions. Of the management scenarios, there is a lower potential for conflict for trail permitting than trail management. Fall visitors had a higher potential for conflict regarding trail permitting (PCI₂ value = 0.43) and fall users also had a higher potential for conflict for trail management (PCI₂ value = 0.25). For expert and novice users, both groups felt similarly about trail conditions, trail permitting, and trail management; however, there was an overall lower potential for conflict for expert horse riders than novice horse riders. The results revealed the complexity of managing horse use in a protected area. Even during periods of high use, horse riders did not report crowded conditions, nor did horse riders favor restricting use on the trails. Additionally, horse riders felt that the trail conditions were acceptable. As past research has shown, increased horse use often leads to degraded ecological conditions (though none was perceived) and possible conflicts with other users (but not intra-activity). Limiting use may be the only viable way to maintain the ecological integrity of the park, regardless of horse riders lack of desire for restricted use or the presence of experiential impacts. Managers often have to make difficult decisions in the face of conflicting information, and this study clearly displays this dilemma.

Bakgrund: Undersökningar visar att personer med funktionsnedsättning inte har samma möjligheter till en aktiv fritid som personer utan funktionsnedsättning. Denna grupp vistas också mer sällan ute i naturen. Det finns också stora skillnader i hur kommuner och privata aktörer arbetar för att främja en aktiv fritid för denna målgrupp. Denna studie skrivs i samarbete med en kommun i södra Sverige. I dagsläget uppger kommunen att stöttning gentemot friluftslivsföreningar i deras arbete med tillgänglighet och delaktighet för personer med funktionsnedsättningar i huvudsak sker genom ekonomiska bidrag i form av föreningsstöd. Man uppger dock att det är ovanligt att dessa bidrag söks i syfte att utveckla verksamhet för personer med funktionsnedsättning. Därav finns det anledning att undersöka närmare hur friluftslivsföreningarna i kommunen arbetar med tillgänglighet och delaktighet, och om det finns andra strategier bortom ekonomiska bidrag för att stötta föreningarna. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur den berörda kommunen kan stötta fruluftslivsföreningar i deras arbete med tillgänglighet och delaktighet för personer med fysisk funktionsnedsättning. Metod: I denna studie nyttjades en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med en på förhand strukturerad intervjuguide. Fem friluftslivsföreningar intervjuades. Kriterier för att delta i studien var ideella föreningar som bedriver verksamhet som ryms inom begreppet friluftsliv, det vill säga ”vistelse utomhus i natur- eller kulturlandskapet för välbefinnande och naturupplevelser utan krav på tävling”. Resultat: Resultatet visade att ingen av föreningarna arbetar aktivt med att utveckla verksamhet för personer med fysisk funktionsnedsättning, och att det arbete som görs i huvudsak har fokus på tillgänglighet. Teman som berörde hinder och möjligheter för att utveckla verksamhet för målgruppen var: ”det krävs ett personligt intresse”, ”brist på tid och ledare”, ”utmaning att nå och locka målgruppen” samt ”osäkerhet och delade uppfattningar om vad som krävs”. Kopplat till dessa teman kan kommunen nyttja ett flertal strategier för att stötta friluftslivsföreningar som komplement till ekonomiska bidrag. / Background: Research shows that people with disabilities do not have the same opportunities for active leisure time as people without disabilities. This group also spends less time out in nature. There are also major differences in how municipalities and private actors work to promote active leisure time for people with disabilities. This study is written in collaboration with a municipality in the south of Sweden. The municipality states that support for outdoor recreation associations in their work with accessibility and participation for this target audience mainly takes place through financial grants. However, it is stated that it is unusual for these grants to be applied for to develop activities for people with disabilities. Hence, there is reason to investigate in more detail how the outdoor life associations in the municipality work with accessibility and participation, and whether there are other strategies beyond financial contributions to support the associations. Objective: The purpose of the study is to investigate how the municipality of concern can support outdoor recreation associations in their work with accessibility and participation for people with physical disabilities. Design: In this study, a qualitative method was used in the form of semi-structured interviews with a pre-structured interview guide. Five outdoor life associations were interviewed. Criteria for participating in the study were non-profit associations that conduct activities that fall within the concept of outdoor recreation, i.e., “being outdoors in nature- or cultural landscapes for the purpose of wellbeing and nature experiences without the need for competition”. Five outdoor recreation associations were interviewed. Results: The results showed that none of the associations works actively to develop activities for people with physical disabilities, and the work that takes place is focused mainly on accessibility. Themes that concerned obstacles and opportunities for developing activities for the target group were “a personal interest is required”, “lack of time and leaders”, “challenge to reach and attract the target group” and “uncertainty and shared perceptions of what is required”. Linked to these themes, the municipality can use several strategies to support outdoor life associations as a complement to financial grants.

A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Recreation and Tourism, in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2008. / The study on Levels of Participation in Outdoor Recreation at Malolotja Game Reserve was conducted against the background that, the Game Reserve has lot of outdoor recreation facilities. Everyone must use these facilities, so that the participation level in outdoor recreation is increased. The study was aimed at finding out the levels of participation in outdoor recreation at Malolotja Game Reserve. This aim was narrowed down to the following objectives: • To establish the levels of understanding the respondents have about the meaning of outdoor recreation activities. • To ascertain the level of participation of various stakeholders in activities provided by Malolotja Game Reserve. • To ascertain if the management of the Game Reserve is regarded as efficient by the respondents. • To find out the nature and types of recreation facilities offered at Malolotja Game Reserve. • To reveal who the respondents think is responsible for financing the Malolotja Game Reserve. • To find out how local community perceive safety and security in Malolotja Game Reserve. Data was collected through the use of sets of questionnaires, which had both * opened-ended and closed ended questions. Data was collected, it was analysed through the use of computer programme, statistical Package for Social Sciences. This programme was used to formulate frequency tables. There were various findings that the researcher obtained from respondents which were tourists, local community, authority and Swaziland National Trust Commission. It was discovered that all the tourists' respondents had a good understanding of outdoor recreation whereas local community had poor understanding of the meaning of outdoor recreation. The participation level was low in local community and moderate for tourists. Participation level was elevated in international tourists and in local community it was declining. Nature and types of facilities the study area had were satisfactory to all the respondents. Management of the facilities were regarded as inefficient and the Game Reserve gets most income from its profit and Government of Swaziland. To address the concerns of the decreasing level of participation, various recommendations were suggested. These include creation of projects to facilitate the participation level in outdoor recreation, provision of outdoor recreation facilities and activities, marketing and promotion of Malolotja Game Reserve, involving the government in development of outdoor recreation, provision of access to finance, development of information centres and lastly improve safety and security. If all this is considered the participation level in outdoor recreation could increase.

The wild lands recreational resources of the canyon country of southeastern Utah were analyzed within an evaluation framework specific to the region. Patterns of recreation development were established and recommendations for planning were submitted. The study area was found to be richly endowed with environmental recreation resources and opportunities. Contributing environmental factors included the uniqueness, diversity, configuration, and/or abundance of the scenic, water, climatic, and primitive resources. An unusually wide spectrum quality opportunities were present. Planning and development were inconsistent with the expression of the environmental resources. A lack of coordination among the responsible public agencies, disparities in allocation of planning and development priorities, and the failure of planning to derive maximum utility from the resources were evident. Deficiencies of existing development can be easily corrected because of the embryonic state of development. Recommendations pertinent to coordination among agencies, master planning, facilities development, land classification, wilderness allocation, interpretation, and scenic drives were proposed.

The demand for recreation on public lands has been growing steadily, resulting in undesirable impacts on certain resources as well as recreation experiences. The problem addressed by this research is the uneven distribution of recreational use that causes a concentration of impacts. This thesis describes the development and testing of a method to reduce the uneven/concentrated recreation use occurring on the public lands. The basic objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of redistributing recreationists by the use of photographs and a decisional process using photographic information and to identify its potential as a tool in meeting management objectives. The experimental treatment device was the Visual Decision Making Process consisting of color photographs, a map and a selection matrix used in the decision-tree to match people to places that would best suit their needs. Recreationists were surveyed on three different weekends during the spring season of 1980 in the San Rafael Swell of southeastern Utah. People who had been contacted during that time were randomly assigned to treatment or no-treatment control groups. A home interview was conducted prior to the 1981 spring recreation season. After the season, both the treatment and no-treatment control groups were contacted for posttest questioning. Data were collected from the contact questioning, observation, and posttest questionnaires. The results indicated that recreation use was influenced by the Visual Decision Making Process, but only a small percentage of people who went through the process went to an area they chose. While the major influence of the process was not significantly proven, there seemed to be a trend in change behavior. This small percentage of change may be an adequate amount to meet management objectives of lessening impacts. It was also found that persons driving four-wheel drive vehicles and larger groups were significantly more influenced to redistribute than car/pickup drivers and smaller groups. Recommendations are made for management practices to reduce uneven/ concentrated recreation use and suggestions for further research are offered.

The purpose of this project was to examine interaction patterns in various campground settings and to elaborate on camping literature which has suggested that the campground is a social event with high rates of interaction. In exploring this phenomenon, this report utilized observational techniques to document the temporal, spatial, familiarity, numerical, and behavioral dimensions of the observed interactions. The data suggested that young adults and middle-aged persons were observed to be involved in, and initiated the highest proportions of, interactions. In general, males displayed far greater proportions of initiations than females. The highly developed campground exhibited higher proportions and rates of social interaction than the less developed campground; but the overall sociability of the campground was blunted by the tremendous extent of “no interaction” in both types of campgrounds. Besides the differences in population size and density of the two campground types, the non-demographic properties of the campground were also shown to be an influencing factor in interaction behavior. The major finding of this report was that regardless of the type of campground, having and not having previously existing acquaintances within the campground played a prominent role in influencing the patterns of interaction. The total interaction proportion was much higher for units with previously existing acquaintances than for units without previously existing acquaintances in the campground. The report also demonstrated that social interactions were predominantly between units who knew each other from outside the campground. The data also suggested that while population size and density, and the ecological field of a setting, played roles in influencing interaction patterns, it was the familiarity dimension that yielded the most fruitful insights and played one of the more prominent role s in influencing campground interactions.

Outdoor recreation participation has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Jämtland mountains have felt the impacts like many other geographical areas. Increased pressure from outdoor recreation risks of decreasing visitor experience and the physical conditions of the recreational landscape. The focused area of this study (the mountain area of the Jämtland triangle) experienced problems already before the Covid-19 pandemic hit due to increasing pressure from visitors as well as from differing interests among stakeholders. The pandemic has especially increased the visitor numbers and pressure from them. This study focused on the viewpoints of the visitors in relation to outdoor recreation impacts and their landscape and land-use perspectives. Moreover, their views on the possible future planning and management of the area, with emphasis on the management practices. Methods used to achieve the objectives were of embedded mixed methods (concurrent nested design): observations, contact cards and semi-structured interviews with the emphasis on qualitative data. Visible impacts in the landscape (crowding, litter, tear, and wear as well as impacts on the fauna) were discovered and that they were also experienced by the visitors to different degrees. In general, their experiences from the contact cards identified higher experiences on tear and wear of the trails as well as crowdedness. This was supported by the interview participants experiences, where each participant experienced erosion (tear and wear) and crowdedness to some degree, and numerous also noticed littering. Noise in both quantitative and qualitative aspect was only experienced to minor degree. The experiences of the visitors differed based on how many times the visitor had been in the area (besides their personal perspectives and values). In general people saw less impacts in the social and physical aspects during their first visit.The eco-strategies framework assisted the analysis of different users and user groups perspectives on the landscape, the land-use of the landscape and conflicts between different types of users (passive use “admire and enjoy the landscape” to the other end of spectrum “factory” of activities). Moreover, carrying capacity was used as a support of the analysis in combining the visitor experience, physical landscape, and the social limits. Besides viewing the public right of access as necessity, stronger restrictions and management practices were viewed as beneficial if these would help the nature recover from the outdoor recreation impacts. Inclusion of visitors and as many stakeholders as possible in the planning process was seen as beneficial. At the end, the results are reflected on in regard to future necessities planned by Länsstyrelsen Jämtlands län (2018). / <p>2022-01-22</p>

Age-friendly parks support older adults' health as places for urban outdoor recreation when more remote nature becomes inaccessible. I analyzed data from a previous survey (n = 266) to explore factors important for older adults' nature experience knowledge to find essential features of age-friendly park design. The data from the survey showed that many older adults had a functional impairment. Still, they used nature areas within walking distance for peace and tranquility and valued age-friendly design features. I also performed semi-structured interviews with planners (n = 6) at Östersund Municipality, Sweden, to understand how their work was affected as the proportion of older adults increased. The planners emphasized supporting older adults' independence through cross sectoral projects and more collaboration between public, private, and non-profit actors. Findings were discussed and implemented into Badhusparken and Surfbukten, urban green spaces in Östersund, to understand planning in practice and park features needed to support age-friendly outdoor recreation. My conclusion was that features regarding age-friendly parks are complex and equal participation is an issue that requires more interdisciplinary research, especially regarding possibilities with age-friendly projects and networks as ways to overcome challenges with an aging population. / <p>2023-06-09</p>

Outdoor recreation is an ongoing global trend that has been boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has contributed to an increase in visitor numbers in protected areas in Sweden. This qualitative interview study aims at exploring how the increasing outdoor recreation trend can proceed alongside nature conservation. Semi structured interviews were conducted with eight visitor centre supervisors and six park managers in eight protected areas in Sweden. The results suggest that most protected areas have seen an increase in visitor numbers. The negative effects of an increase in visitor numbers experienced by the informants include trampling, effects on wildlife and littering. Preventive visitor management strategies are used by visitor centre supervisors and park managers to mitigate negative effects in protected areas. These include providing information about rules and regulation, physical presence, collaboration, physical measures and dispersal of visitors. Apart from these strategies, the result show that future action to mitigate the negative effects of high visitor numbers can include creating visitor engagement, performing studies on trampling effects and wildlife disturbance as well as bans and limitations. However, further research is needed to determine the effects and accuracy of these strategies.

Accessibility-related information within the tourism sector which would allow people with disabilities to be able to assess the level of accessibility on site is currently lacking. This study focuses on information in regards to outdoor recreational activities within mountain destinations in the middle parts of Sweden. The findings from in-depth interviews with different stakeholders, in addition with a website-analysis, indicate that there is not much information that is aimed towards people with disabilities overall, neither in terms of digital inclusion, nor information regarding the physical accessibility on the examined destinations. There is however examples of positive contributions to increased accessibility efforts found within this study. This study adds research on how the information should be presented in order to allow people with access needs to be able to assess the accessibility in relation to their abilities and disabilities. / <p>2023-06-16</p>