RECURRING POLICY ISSUES IN WATER-BASED RECREATION MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Increased demand threatens to outpace our ability to provide appropriate opportunities for water-based recreation. However, this management problem is not simply framed in terms of physically expanding the resource base, but rather in stressing the development of approaches that more efficiently utilize existing opportunities. This paper identifies and examines recurring policy issues in water-based recreation management. Initially, it focusses upon defining the more traditional issues which have confronted water managers in a recreational context. These include water-based recreational concerns associated with ecological and social impact, legal and jurisdictional responsibility and resource tradeoffs. The paper then identifies and examines more specifically current management concerns. These deal with such problems as the dimensions of recreational management conflict, resource perception, technological innovation, co-ordination challenges, public participation dilemmas, resource allocation and resource...