Page 116 - A bird’s-eye view of recreation - Rogier Pouwels
P. 116

 A bird's-eye view of recreation
analyses. For example, the monitoring data for the Veluwe, the study area in Chapter 4, was insufficient for Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) and Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), breeding bird species for which the area has been designated. For rare species, monitoring data from different areas might need to be combined. Further research is needed to show if combining different datasets for this type of analyses is feasible.
Where no monitoring data are available, managers might use the concept of ecoprofiles (Opdam et al. 2008). Ecoprofiles are a set of species that respond in a similar way to a pressure. Based on species characteristics such as body size (Weston et al. 2012), breeding location (Kangas et al. 2010) or habitat preferences (Blanc et al. 2006) species can be aggregated in ecoprofiles. Knowledge of the impact of outdoor recreation for one of the species may then be used for other species in the same ecoprofile. For example, in order to estimate the impact of recreation on the Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris), a small songbird breeding on the ground in heathland, managers might consider using knowledge about the impact of outdoor recreation on Woodlarks (Chapter 4). Further research is needed on the effect of using ecoprofiles on the credibility, salience and legitimacy of the knowledge and tools used in the decision-making process.
Finally, in this thesis I focused on hiking as a recreation type. However, different types of visitor may have different types of impact. Visitors with dogs, for example, are considered to have a larger impact on breeding bird densities than visitors without dogs (Banks and Bryant 2007). Knowledge is needed on the differences in impact between different types of recreation.
6.4.2 Use different methods to find alternative solutions
In Chapters 3 and 5 I used scientific tools to assess the impact of management measures that restrict visitor use on bird populations. In natural areas where outdoor recreation and bird conservation conflict, restricting visitor access is often the first measure site managers propose (Hammitt et al. 2015). Most studies on recreation disturbance on birds also conclude that temporary or permanent restrictions on access to parts of natural areas should be considered by managers (Coombes et al. 2008, Bötsch et al. 2017). Although the reason and necessity for such restrictions are easy to explain and are accepted by most visitors, Hammitt et al. (2015) argue that restrictive measures should never be the first line of defence as they frustrate opportunities for nature experiences.
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