To begin, it is useful to define indicators and thresholds. Indicators of quality are measurable, management variables that help define the quality of the recreation experience (Manning 2010). Thresholds are standards of quality that define the minimum acceptable condition of indicator variables (Manning 2010). The framework, involving indicators and thresholds, is criticized for being too reactive because it focuses on monitoring impacts that reveal lack of achieving the standards of quality. From there, managers use that data to form the next set of indicators. So, managers are allowing conditions worse than the standards of quality to occur. Instead, the managers could project impacts of certain decisions and then base indicators on the projections rather than the monitored impacts. Even though this approach calls for certain standards of quality, the thresholds do not need to be challenged at the beginning. They can be tested in a model beforehand. As Nathan Reigner (2014) described in the video, the land cover analysis empowers managers to have a thorough picture of the terrain. Scientific conditions can be compared with visitors assessments of the conditions to give managers a complete view of the starting point before setting indicators and standards. Discrepancies between scientist and visitor data can also illustrates the importance of doing the proactive land cover analysis. When recreation visitors are actually looking at the real site, they do not notice impacts. So, another way to be more proactive when establishing the indicators and standards of quality is to assume impacts are worser than they are and that more intense management implementation is necessary. Also, even in the case of managers determining the starting point from land cover analysis, a way to be proactive is by verifying the accuracy of the data as a regular protocol. Managers need to place emphasis on making them specific, objective, reliable and repeatable, related to visitor use, sensitive to visitor use over a short period of time, manageable, efficient and effective to measure, and significant in defining the quality of the visitor experience (Manning 2010). Overall, managers can also take steps to strengthen their understanding of the criteria that might be used to define effective indicators of quality.
Reference:
Manning, Robert. Studies in Outdoor Recreation, 3rd ed.: Search and Research for Satisfaction 3rd Edition. Oregon State University Press, 2010.
Reigner, Nathan. 2014. “Integrated Social and Ecological Recreation Monitoring for Vermont’s Forests.” Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative. Youtube. Dec 22.
Comment by Fenton Kay:
Mary, what are your thoughts regarding the use of GIS and satellite imagery as tools to establish baseline conditions for recreation planning?
My Comment:
I support the use of GIS and satellite imagery as tools to establish baseline conditions for recreation planning and bring other assets to the table. The potential for satellite remote sensing (SRS) to provide key data has been highlighted by many researchers, with SRS offering repeatable, standardized and verifiable information on long-term trends in biodiversity indicators (Pettorelli et al. 2014). Considering a positive attribute of the tools is their consistency, they would be optimal for establishing baseline conditions serving as the control group in a project (Pettorelli et al. 2014). SRS permits one to address questions on scales inaccessible to ground-based methods alone, facilitating the development of an integrated approach to natural resource management, where pressures to biodiversity can all be established (Pettorelli et al. 2014).
Reference:
Pettorelli, N., Laurance, W., O’Brien, T., Wegmann, M., Nagendra, H., & Turner, W. 2014. “Satellite remote sensing for applied ecologists: Opportunities and challenges”. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(4): 839-848. Accessed May 21, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24032484
Comment by Fenton Kay:
The title of your paper sounds a bit like a seminar course I taught several years ago when GPS and GIS were just getting into resource management.
My Comment:
Ah interesting, I imagine a discussion on the topic between you and those authors would be intriguing.
Comment by Fenton Kay:
Back then, I was mostly finding articles in journals (and they were scarce then) that demonstrated the use of the tools and getting the students to read and discuss those. I was primarily acting as a GPS/GIS cheerleader.
Cheers!