Page 118 - A bird’s-eye view of recreation - Rogier Pouwels
P. 118

 A bird's-eye view of recreation
Further research is needed on how scientific tools should deal with evolving goals, how site-specific data and local knowledge can be translated into recreation goals, and how scientific tools should be developed to assess recreation goals that might differ between nature areas.
Another reason for inequality between the two functions might be that it is difficult to determine how visiting nature areas benefits nature conservation. Lack of knowledge on this positive impact on nature conservation might lead to neglecting this aspect of the relation between outdoor recreation and nature conservation. I noticed that asking conservation stakeholders the simple question ‘Why do you want to protect this species’ often triggers a good debate on the role of nature experiences and the value of physically connecting with nature. Even just the sheer enjoyment of experiencing nature leads to an increase in support for conservation (see also Zylstra et al. 2014, Lumber et al. 2017). Further research should be conducted on the contribution that visiting nature areas makes to the support for nature conservation. Questions that might be addressed are (see also Zylstra et al. 2014, Restall and Conrad 2015, Lumber et al. 2017): Do visits to nature areas increase support for conservation measures? Can thresholds be identified? What types of landscape do visitors connect with? What measures can site managers take to increase connectedness with nature? Knowledge is also needed on the impact of restrictive measures on visitors’ experiences.
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