Page 163 - A bird’s-eye view of recreation - Rogier Pouwels

1. Connect the perspectives of managers, stakeholders and scientists by using standardized scientific methods to relate concrete management actions in an area to acknowledged stakeholders values. This increases relevance for managers when they are able to predict the impact on visitor densities of changes in recreation accessibility, such as changing the location or capacity of car parks or temporarily closing parts of the area. Validity for stakeholders is increased when they can associate the output of the tools with the values they acknowledge. Confidence for scientists is increased when they can use standardized methods and develop tools that are based on accepted scientific methods and concepts. Building scientific tools on this principle helps to harmonize the perspectives of managers, stakeholders and scientists on the credibility, salience and legitimacy of knowledge and tools.
2. Connect knowledge along a clarity–complexity axis by combining the development of complex scientific methods with the use of simple algorithms and rules of thumb based on these complex tools. This combination helps to connect credibility with salience and legitimacy in the complexity versus clarity trade-off. Simple algorithms and rules of thumb improve salience and legitimacy, while a potential loss of credibility is mitigated by showing how the simplified knowledge reflects the complex relations between local management measures and local and regional targets.
3. Discuss algorithms and parameters helps to bring about agreement on the measures to be taken. One of the most important merits of using scientific tools in stakeholder decision making is that the tools themselves provide structure for discussion. This structure should be used to discuss choices that have to be made when adapting tools to the local situation. These discussions encourage stakeholders and site managers to enter into a dialogue about each other's values and help to build trust between all parties and a shared understanding of the local situation.
4. Different phases in the decision-making process may need different types of information. In the problem definition phase, simple messages are needed that show the severity of the impact of visitors on the conservation targets. In the phase of setting objectives, information is needed that relates visitor densities to the population size or bird
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