Balancing Ecotourism and Resource Protection on

Public Lands

Alan R. Graefe, Ph.D.The Pennsylvania State University

Recreation and the Environment:A Reciprocal Relationship

• Participation in outdoor recreation/tourism is enhanced by an appealing environment

• Desire/need for recreation/sports/tourism leads to preservation and protection of natural environments

• But a balance is needed: recreation must be managed in harmony with nature

Presentation Overview

• Review management processes and frameworks used by public land managing agencies

• Examine a case study of a public/private partnership for ecotourism in Pennsylvania

Management Frameworks

• Recreation Opportunity Spectrum

• Benefits-Based Management

• Carrying Capacity/LAC/VIM

Recreation Opportunity Spectrum

• Developed by the U.S. Forest Service

• Land classification system

• Continuum of experiences ranging from primitive to highly developed

• ROS matches desired experiences with the appropriate recreation setting

Recreation Opportunity Spectrum

Primitive

Semi-primitiveNon-motorized

Semi-primitive motorized

RoadedNatural

Rural

Urban

Benefits Based Management• Extension of ROS

• Focuses on the benefits that result from recreation

• Benefits fall into five categories:– Physical health– Psychological health– Social– Economic– Environmental

Benefits-Based Management

Opportunities

ConstraintsPARTICIPANTS

Personal-socialrelationships

Behavior andaction

Physical-aestheticcharacteristics of setting

Location intime and space

LIFE EXPERIENCES

OUTCOMES

•Social Position

•Previous Experience•Perceptions, Beliefs,Values, Preferences,Skills, Abilities

Carrying Capacity Frameworks• Carrying capacity has been

one of the most studied topics in the recreation field for over 40 years

• Focus is on managing areas to reduce environmental and social impacts

• Complex blend of scientific research and value judgments by resource managers

The Carrying Capacity Model

Descriptive

Evaluative

ManagementParameters

ImpactParameters

EvaluativeStandards

Management Objectives

RecreationCarryingCapacity

Carrying Capacity Frameworks

• Limits of Acceptable Change

• Visitor Experience and Resource Protection

• Visitor Impact Management

Are Objectives/Standards Being Met?

Set Objectivesand Standards

Inventory Conditions

yes no

Continue Current Management Change

Management

Monitor Monitor

Limits of Acceptable Change

A Problem of Definition:What is a Carrying Capacity Study

• An interesting irony– Places with established capacities with no data or

studies to back them up– Places that have studies, but still have not determined

capacity• Need to include studies of the impacts of

increasing recreational use, not just those called “capacity studies”

Case Study

• Nature Quest is a geotourism enterprise offering educational nature-based experiences in the PA Wilds (north central Pennsylvania), including:

� natural history and cultural resource interpretation

� horse-drawn covered wagon rides through the PA Grand Canyon

� guided (hiking, horseback, biking, and floating) nature tours within the Pennsylvania Wilds (service coupled with Mountain Trail Horse Center and Pine Creek Outfitters),

Problem Statement

• Nature Quest wants to expand its operations to become the premiere ecotourism provider in the area

• Existing providers (including NQ) are Mom and Pop operations trying to survive in the economically depressed region

• State of PA created the PA Wilds as a major marketing campaign, depending on ecotourism and outdoor recreation to assist this region economically

• NQ needs assurance from the State that it will be allowed to expand enough to be economically viable

• State DCNR supports the concept, but is worried about visitor impacts and the carrying capacity of the state lands

Mission of Nature Quest• to be a vehicle in facilitating spiritual, intellectual, physical,

and emotional involvement with the environment and realizing its dependency on the earth and inclusion as part of the whole

• to create a financial cooperative effort for the community at large, the participants, and private enterprises

• to influence the value set on open space as an important and profit producing resource

Bottom line: mission is compatible with State’s goals for the area

Public-Private Partnership

• Need for public and private sector participation

• Multiple state agencies involved– State Forests– State Parks– PA Game Commission– PA Fish and Boat Commission– PA Dept. of Community & Economic

Development

Benefits of the Public-Private Partnership

• NQ provides benefits to three groups– Local communities– Area visitors/tourists– PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)

• Types of benefits include:– Skills, equipment, knowledge– Stewardship and education– Safety– Increase use/demand– Increased interpretive staff and capability– Tourism marketing– Recreational opportunities– Community and economic development

Challenges of the Public-Private Partnership

• Type of agreement/permits required• Interagency coordination• How to address carrying capacity• What management and impact parameters

should be used• What kinds of use restrictions/regulations

are appropriate• What about fees and charges

Current Status

• Feasibility study complete• NQ is seeking funding for lodge

development• Operating plans and agreements are

being negotiated

Stay tuned – only the future will tell

Questions?