Page 65 - A bird’s-eye view of recreation - Rogier Pouwels

Relating local impacts to regional conservation targets
the management of the area, the unfeasibility of predicting the impact of measures makes it difficult for key actors to decide about local measures. This might lead to a lack of public support (Pouwels et al., 2011).
In this paper we present an assessment procedure which provides information that connects local management to regional scale conservation targets, allowing collaborative decision making about taking measures to harmonize bird conservation and outdoor recreation. We do this through a case study of one of the largest protected areas in Northwestern Europe, the Veluwe Natura 2000 site in the Netherlands. In our approach we (a) quantify visitor densities, (b) analyse the impact of visitor densities on bird species and (c) demonstrate how the local impacts can be assessed with regards to regional conservation objectives. We demonstrate how long-term bird monitoring data can be used to help managers to harmonize outdoor recreation and bird conservation in protected areas.
4.2 Study area 4
The Veluwe (93,331 ha) is the largest forest-heathland complex and terrestrial Natura 2000 site in the Netherlands (Appendix 4). It is a mosaic of woodland, heathlands and shifting inland sand dunes. Almost one million residents live and work in small villages and medium sized towns within or in the vicinity of the area (<10 km). The area is easily accessible due to many parking areas from where visitors are able to use the dense network of almost 7500 km walking trails. The Veluwe is also a popular all year holiday destination; many camping sites, bungalow parks and hotels are present in the area. The area was designated as a Natura 2000 site in 2014 by the national government for 17 Habitat Types, seven Habitat Directive Species and ten breeding bird species. The Dutch province of Gelderland is responsible for the implementation of the Natura 2000 policy for the Veluwe. Achieving the conservation targets is further complicated because of the diversity of land owners who have a shared responsibility in balancing conservation and recreation interests.
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