Linking visitor motivation with attitude towards management restrictions on use in a national park

Abstract

The increasing demand for visiting wilderness areas often requires management actions that both conserve the natural resources and ensure a high quality visitor experience. Many of the alpine national parks in southern Norway hold the last remaining populations of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Europe. Therefore management needs more effective tools to reduce or remove recreational impact on wild reindeer populations. Management actions should also consult research-based knowledge on visitors. Therefore, this study explores the link between visitor motivations and their attitudes towards management actions on track-related (trail, path, trampling, track) and area-related (zoning, legal restrictions) use. The results show that two of the visitor motivations (i.e. hiking and place attachment) affect visitors’ attitudes towards management restrictions on use significantly. For instance, those visiting the national park for hiking are more positive to area-related restrictions while individuals attached to the place are more positive to track-related restrictions. Practical and theoretical implications are also discussed. Management implicationsWhen attempting to find socio-ecological solutions for conflicts between a wild reindeer population and recreational use, the following management recommendations should be considered:–A management solution should regard the fact that local users differ significantly from non-local visitors.–The strategy of ‘area restriction’ is highly controversial for local communities, due to their long tradition with subsistence harvesting, grazing and traditional agriculture; therefore such a strategy will receive only low approval among the locals and leave the management with low legitimacy at the local level.–The strategy of ‘management of the track system’ will affect most non-local visitors, but these visitors are more flexible in adapting to a new trail system in the area, or may shift to another area.–Visitors with strong place attachment, as well as wilderness seekers who desire solitude are difficult to influence with physical management actions.–A management strategy that will limit the area of use and behaviour of off-track visitors should include information about ecosystem vulnerability.