Heterogeneity of recreationists in a park and protected area

Limited information and resources have caused many parks and protected areas (PPAs) to functionally manage recreationists as a single homogeneous group, despite potential negative social and ecological consequences. We aimed to evaluate the homogeneity of recreationists at the Valentine National Wil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2022-05, Vol.17 (5), p.e0268303-e0268303
Main Authors: DaRugna, Olivia A, Kaemingk, Mark A, Chizinski, Christopher J, Pope, Kevin L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amusements
Animals
Animals, Wild
Biology and Life Sciences
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecological effects
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Ecosystem
Engineering and Technology
Environmental education
Family income
Fishing
Four wheel drive
Heterogeneity
Homogeneity
Hunting
Management
Parks
Parks, Recreational
Participation
Photography
Polls & surveys
Protected areas
Protection and preservation
Recreation
Research and Analysis Methods
Social Sciences
Sociodemographics
Travel
United States
Veganism
Wildlife
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife management
Wildlife refuges
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Summary:Limited information and resources have caused many parks and protected areas (PPAs) to functionally manage recreationists as a single homogeneous group, despite potential negative social and ecological consequences. We aimed to evaluate the homogeneity of recreationists at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) by 1) quantifying frequencies of consumptive (i.e., hunting), intermediate-consumptive (i.e., fishing), and non-consumptive recreational-activity groups (e.g., wildlife viewing), and 2) evaluating sociodemographic differences among these groups. We used onsite surveys to determine that Valentine NWR supports heterogeneous groups of recreationists. The intermediate-consumptive group was most frequent (77% of all parties). All three recreational-activity groups varied in party size, distance traveled, household income, population type (urban or rural residence), and vehicle type (two-wheel or four-wheel drive). Tracking and accounting for diverse recreationists will equip managers with the ability to sustain recreational activities while also preserving ecological systems.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0268303