Recreational trails in the Poprad Landscape Park, Poland: the spatial pattern of trail impacts and use-related, environmental, and managerial factors

Abstract

ABSTRACTMultiple maps at a scale of 1:51,500, portraying the trail-related features of 43.4 km of recreational trails located in a mountainous area of the Poprad Landscape Park (south-central Poland), were produced. More specifically, the maps presented the spatial pattern of trail impacts (i.e. trail width; trail incision; the number of informal trails; old, abandoned trail sections; a presence of muddy sections and water puddles), as well as use-related (type and amount of use), environmental (vegetation type, density of forest floor/grassland and understorey layer along trails, aspect, and trail topographic position), and managerial (trail surface, grade, and alignment) factors. For the most part, the information was collected during field surveys using the Global Positioning System and Geographic Information System (GIS), but in a minority of cases it was calculated within the GIS-environment based on a digital elevation model. Collecting accurate data on condition of trails and elements that influenced their state is crucial for managers in protected natural areas who face the challenges of protecting nature and providing recreational opportunities at the same time.