Impacts of trails on plants, soil and their interactions in the subalpine meadows of Mount Jade Dragon, Northwestern Yunnan of China

Abstract

Trails are a type of tourism infrastructure that impact vegetation and soil, which are essential for sustainable recreation practices. There is limited recreation ecology research on the impact of trails in China, especially on Mount Jade Dragon, where it is characterized as a global biodiversity hotspot with high scenic value. Impacts of trails on vegetation, soil and their interaction were assessed for the subalpine meadow area of Mount Jade Dragon. The aims of this research were: (i) to assess trail effects on vegetation, soil and their interaction, and (ii) to evaluate the effects of the trail type and usage level on trail impacts. Vegetation and soil properties were measured at control and trailside sites along formal and informal trails of different usage levels. A three-way analysis of variance was performed to determine the effects of site location, trail type and usage level. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to visualize species composition along trails and to ordinate species with respect to the soil variables. A multiple linear regression model was used to examine relationships between soil variables and vegetation cover. The results showed that trails led to vegetation cover, height and species richness reduction as well as soil organic matter and moisture content loss. Trails also affected soil-vegetation relationships. Soil organic matter and soil moisture content played an important role in determining vegetation along trails at low-usage sites. The soil-vegetation relationships were weakened at high-usage sites. Compared with informal trails, formal trails had a protective effect on vegetation cover, especially at high-usage sites. These results suggest that park managers should limit the spread of informal trails at high-usage sites, upgrade existing informal trails, and rehabilitate damaged areas. Further, greater recognition should be given to research on soil protection and soil-vegetation relationships.