Implications of outdoor recreation for wildlife conservation in protected areas
Date
2015
Authors
Larson, Courtney Louise, author
Crooks, Kevin R., advisor
Reed, Sarah E., advisor
Knight, Richard L., committee member
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Abstract
Outdoor recreation is an ecosystem service provided by most protected areas worldwide, and it is usually assumed to be compatible with conservation goals. Since participation in outdoor recreation is growing globally, this presents a dilemma for conservation planners and protected area managers who must manage this demand for recreation while working to protect species. In this thesis, I present the results of a systematic review that summarizes and analyzes the scientific literature on the effects of recreation on animals (Chapter 1). I then describe the findings of a field study in which my co-authors and I measured and modeled recreation in a network of reserves in order to understand variability in human use of reserves (Chapter 2). An increasing number of studies are discovering negative effects of recreation on animals. My co-authors and I used a systematic review process to analyze 218 articles on recreation impacts on wildlife, without restrictions on geographic area, taxonomic group, or recreation activity. We quantified trends in publication rates and outlets, identified major knowledge gaps, and assessed evidence for negative and positive effects of recreation. Although publication rates are low and knowledge gaps remain, the evidence was clear with over 93% of reviewed articles documenting at least one effect of recreation on wildlife. Birds (39% of articles) and mammals (37%) were the focus of the majority of recreation studies, whereas research on 1) amphibians, reptiles, and fish, 2) locations in South America, Asia, and Africa, and 3) responses at the population and community levels was lacking. Although responses are likely to be species-specific in many cases, some taxonomic groups (e.g., passerine birds, shorebirds, ungulates, and coral) had more evidence of an effect of recreation. Counter to public perception, non-motorized activities had more evidence of a recreation effect than motorized activities, and snow-based activities had more evidence of an effect than other activities. In the second chapter, we sought to understand the variation in recreation activity at a network of reserves in San Diego County, California. We empirically measured spatial and temporal variability in recreation to identify biophysical and socioeconomic factors that influenced activity patterns. We measured recreation with remotely-triggered cameras and an expert opinion survey, and we used random forest models to identify important factors and make predictions to unsampled reserves. Accessibility variables (e.g., numbers of housing units, parking lots, and entrances), trail density, and the number of nearby reserves were important variables with strong positive relationships with visitation levels. This predictive model has applications for reserve planning as human populations continue to grow, and can be used to compare species exposure to recreation to prioritize future study and potential conservation interventions. Understanding the variability in visitation patterns can help inform protected area management policies that will more effectively balance human recreation with biodiversity conservation.
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Subject
protected areas
systematic review
wildlife
recreation
conservation
visitation