Principles of visitor management
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Transcript of Principles of visitor management
Principles of Visitor Management for Protected Areas:
An Awareness Building Shortcourse
Presented by Stephen McCoolThe University of MontanaMissoula, Montana
Shortcourse GoalsUnderstand consequences of growing tourist
demand for Namibian resourcesProvide a framework for thinking about
managementBuild awareness of the science and practice
of visitor managementA focus more on the why rather than the
what or how
Shortcourse Organization/ProceduresFacilitated discussion
Participants provide examples, opportunities and challenges from real world
Facilitator provides a sense of principles from the literature and experience
OrganizationProtected Areas and Tourism in a Changing
WorldIdentification of IssuesPresentation and Discussion of Principles
Stewardship ResponsibilitiesDeveloping a vision
Protect values and resourcesEnhance quality of lifeProvide opportunities for employment and
incomeDesigning a pathway to achieve it
What actions are effective, efficient, and equitable?
Monitoring the journey along the pathwayIs what we thought would happen, really
happening?
How do we meet these responsibilities with respect to tourism and visitation?Use best knowledge available, including
science and our experience, we manage:
Competing Demands
Joint LearningRelationships
with Constituencies
But, we know there are obstacles to addressing any of the above tasksFundingPoliticsOrganizational learning, technical proficiencyLack of trustInstitutional designProcedural orientation
And we know that protected area stewardship exists withinA dynamic, often contentious political
context,Groups vie and compete for “veto” power
over protected area actions,Disagreements over goals of protected areas
exist,There is often scientific uncertainty about
cause-effect relationships,The power to plan and the power to
implement plans are often distinct and separated, and
Inequities in access to information exist
Thus, protected area stewardshipIs a wicked problem
Framing the question of management itself is problematic
And a messy situationThere are no solutions (e.g., answers)Just resolutions (e.g., agreements)Problems are interconnectedProblems return because the context changes
Cannot proceed as normalFinally, the future is not like the past
What is the world like?The PLUS world of the past
PredictableLinearUnderstandableStable
The DICE World of the futureDynamicImpossible to understand completelyComplexEver-changing
Small Group AssignmentWhat do you see as the key issue in the
provision of visitor and tourism opportunities on MET administered lands over the next decade?Short phrasesTake 30 minutesEach group reports on three most significant
So, What Principles will Help Address These Issues in a DICE World …So We Can be Better Stewards?
Some Principles for Managing Visitors in Protected Areas – A PrefaceMaking tradeoffs between protection and
visitation/tourismWhat objective ultimately constrains tourism
development?Determine how much change is acceptable
Making tradeoffs, but involves more than just the biophysical, also includes the experiential, how much change is acceptable
Principles derived from science
In a Messy World …Need a framework to work through issues,
challenges and opportunitiesPrinciples help us do the working throughPrinciples are not answers, but they serve as
a framework to structure our thinking
Principle 1:
Appropriate Management Depends Upon Objectives Objectives tell us what to achieveHelp organize actionReflect social agreement on purpose of
protected area
Objectives Provide Vision of the FutureBut, whose future?
Present
Various futures
Desired
Typical objectives“protect the resource”“provide a diversity of recreation
opportunities”Do not provide specific enough direction for
decisionsDo not provide for benchmarks to measure
progressNot specific enough, lead to an illusion of
agreement when in fact there is significant disagreement
What are the characteristics of good objectives?Specific – not vague (e.g., protect the resource)Output-oriented – what is the desired result?
Type of experience, biophysical conditionQuantitative – how to measure the objective so
we know if it is achievedSo many people have achieved adventure, challenge,
etc.No more than 80% of the campsites have more than 50
sq. meters of barren soilRealistic – the objective is attainable with some
effortTime-bound – the time frame for achieving the
objective is specified
Principle 2:
Diversity in Biophysical and Social Conditions Is Inevitable and May be Desirable
Human induced changes vary by locationSuch changes also vary in acceptabilityIs such variation desirable?
If so, allocating areas to different opportunities is a useful technique--allocation termed zoning
Example: Expected outcomes for visitors in Glacier National ParkNature appreciationSolitudeIntrospectionSecurityChallenge/AdventureGroup cohesivenessPersonal Control
Motivations Occur in PackagesEscapists
High on personal control and solitudeNaturalists
Scenery, introspection and wildlifeParkists
Introspection, security and personal controlFrustrated Solitude Seekers
Solitude, security and scenery
Visitor Data Glacier National Park
Escapists
Naturalists
Parkists
Frustrated Solitude
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0
Percent of Respondents
36.7
14.7
19.5
21.9
Variability in Acceptability
Outdoor Recreation PlanningCapstone 6 -- Fall 2002
Escapists
Naturalists
Parkists
Frustrated Solitude
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0
Percent of Respondents
Preferred
Acceptable
Percent selecting picture with nine or more people, Swiftcurrent
Thus,No such thing as an average visitor!!Acceptability of conditions varies by visitor
typeWho is the park managed for?Finally, management is driven by variability
more than averages
Zoning as a means of protection for both biophysical and social conditionsAllocates land to different opportunities and
conditionsControls the spread of the types and amounts
of impactsProtects unique and highly valued
opportunities
Principle 3: Management is Directed at Influencing Human-Induced Change
Ecosystems are dynamic, change always occurring
Human use occurs within context of changeUnderlying assumption that human uses threaten
park valuesProtected area planning is directed toward the
location, type and intensity of human-induced change
Some Visitor Management Processes for Dealing with ChangeCarrying (Visitor) Capacity based
Frameworks – 1960s +Social, Biophysical, Facility
Recreation Opportunity Spectrum based FrameworksRecreation Opportunity Spectrum – 1970sTourism Opportunity Spectrum – 1990sWater Recreation Opportunity Spectrum –
2000s
Some Visitor Management Processes for Dealing with ChangeLimits of Acceptable Change based
FrameworksLimits of Acceptable Change – 1980sVisitor Impact Management – 1980sVisitor Experience and Resource Protection –
1990sTourism Optimization and Management Model–
1990sThe Benefits Based Management
Framework – 1990sPlaced-based Frameworks – 2000s
Any level of use leads to some kind of impactCan managers prevent visitor impacts from
occurring?
Principle 4:Impacts on Resources and Social Conditions are Inevitable Consequences of Human Use
What is the relationship between use level and impact?
Use Level
Impact
Given this relationship …How much change is acceptable?How would you decide?Is this a technical question or a value
judgment?
But, Setting Standards Means Making Choices Among Visitor Experiences
Use Level
ImpactWhat standard should we use?
How do we decide?
Setting standards is a function of human values.
Principle 5:
Impacts may be Spatially or Temporally Discontinuous
Impacts often occur offsiteImpacts may take a long time to appearSecondary and tertiary effects difficult to
ascertain and attributeNeed to think regionally, the Whack a Mole
Phenomenon
An exampleCampsite impacts too high,
Thus, closing campsites to reduce impacts seems to be a reasonable action.
But, didn’t workVisitors create new campsites
Thus, the total impact is actually largerThis represents a focus on the event
(campsite impacts, not understanding the system)
A “Fixes that Fail” System
Current Campsite Condition
Desired Condition
Gap
Close Campsites
People create new campsites
DelayDelay
Unintended Consequence
Principle 6:
Many Variables Influence the Use/Impact Relationship
Use level may be important in influencing amount of impact, but
Other variables often more significantbehaviorseasontype and size of groupbiophysical characteristics
Principle 7:
Many Management Problems are Not Use Density DependentVisitors seek many different things during a
visit to a protected areaMotivations such as solitude, adventure,
learning, appreciating and learning about nature, family cohesivenessnot all of the above are adversely affected by
number of visitorsOther problems--littering, etc.
Principle 8:
Limiting Use is Only One of Many Management Options
Limiting use may be one management tool, but …
It may not be effective in dealing with problems
It controls use levels, but does it control impacts
The problem of problem displacement
Managers have a box of “tools” available, but … to what extent do we want regulation and intrusive measures?
How Systems Thinking Can Help Avoid Traps when Limiting Use
Limit Use
Unacceptable Impacts
Visitor Behavior and Development Patterns
Side Effects: Implement More Rules
Shift Use Elsewhere Impact Visitor Experience
Principle 9:
Monitoring is Essential to Professional Management
Periodic remeasurement of key information variables or indicators
Followed by evaluation and reflectionKey attributes
feasibleobjectivetimely
Monitoring Plan is an Essential Part of ManagementDescription of proceduresHow data will be analyzed, displayed and
evaluatedHow does monitoring data influence planning
and management?Personnel assignments
Monitoring Principles
Where conditions are at or in violation of standards
Where conditions are changing rapidlyWhere values are threatened by visitationWhere effects of management are unknown
Source: Cole 1989
Principle 10:
The Decision-Making Process Should Separate Technical Description from Value Judgments
What is is not necessarily what should beSeparate inventory from decisions about
what should be done in time
Principle 11:
Consensus among Affected Groups is Needed for Implementation
Shared problem definitionProblem can be resolved through public
involvementInclusiveLive with resultsKnowledge distributed equallyPermission to act
Successful Management
Technical Process
Public Engagement
Objectives of Public Engagement
Implementation of plan Understanding social acceptability Representativeness Learning Ownership Relationships
Conclusions
Many visitor management issues confronting MET
Principles serve as a framework for thinking through
Not answers, but ways to reflect In the long run, reflection leads to more
efficient management