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

Thank You

Steve.McCool@gmail.comPerspectives on Protected Area Planning

http://pasqueflowerparadigms.blogspot.com