Page 18 - A bird’s-eye view of recreation - Rogier Pouwels

A bird's-eye view of recreation
experience-based knowledge can be integrated with general scientific methods and models to increase the legitimacy and salience of the general scientific methods and models and at the same time increase the credibility of the site-specific information and experience-based knowledge (Fig. 2).
credibility
Using site-specific data and local knowledge to improve tools and methods
legitimacy
salience
Figure 2. Schematic representation of the shift from credibility to salience and legitimacy that scientific knowledge and tools (red dot) must make if they are to be useful in negotiations on conservation management options between site managers, recreation stakeholders and conservation stakeholders.
1.4 Outline of thesis
In the following four chapters I will integrate site-specific data and local knowledge with scientific methods and models and relate local management measures to local and regional recreation and conservation targets. In these chapters I will address how this knowledge can play a role in decision making by managers of nature areas.
In Chapter 2, I use site-specific monitoring data from GPS tracking in the New Forest, UK, to develop a spatial statistical model to provide managers insight into which factors determine visitor densities. These insights are then used to derive rules of thumb and the model is used to provide an estimate of the visitor densities for the whole region. Three scenarios are presented to illustrate the impact of management measures on visitor densities in the area and on the potential disturbance of Nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus).
In Chapter 3 I integrate individual-based models to assess the impact of different recreation accessibility scenarios on the population size and extinction risk of Skylarks (Alauda arvensis). Site-specific information on visitor numbers and habitat use of
16