Recreational impacts on European Sites (2) Durwyn Liley
Impacts of Recreation • Damage – trampling, erosion, vegetation wear, vandalism • Fire • Contamination – eutrophication, alien species • Disturbance – habitat loss, energetic costs, stress • Management issues – hostility to tree felling, resources
Approximately 36ha (3.1% of site) is track or path
Nightjar density and habitat
Nightjar density (per ha)
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0 C le a rfe ll
C onife r
De ciduous
Dry he a th
Mix he a th
W e t he a th
Young conife r
Nightjar density in relation to predicted visitor numbers within sites
Responses by activity
Numbers next to activity give number of observations. Only observations where birds present and within 200m included. 1034 hours fieldwork across 7 SPAs.
Top ten activities: i.e. Which activities cause the most major flights Activity
No. of major flights
% of major flights
% of visitor volume
Dog walker, dog off lead
409
45
29
Walker (no dog)
167
18
35
Bait Digging
81
9
2
Dog walker, all dogs on lead
51
6
8
Motor vehicle
31
3
2
Birdwatcher
21
2
1
Rowing Boat
18
2
0
Jogger
13
1
5
Cyclist
13
1
8
Kitesurfer
11
1
1
Data from 10100 observations of different activities, across 51 vantage points.
Settlement pattern & access 25
Total people count for each section
400 20
350 300
15
250 200
10
150 100
5
50 0
0 S
Length of study site (11 km north to south)
No people at all: population increase of 85% Numbers of people doubled: decrease of 23%
N
Total number of nests found per section
450
Strategic Solutions Strategic mitigation strategies being considered/developed: •Thames Basin Heaths •Dorset Heaths •North Kent •Solent •South Devon •Cannock Chase •Ashdown Forest
• • • • • • • •
Wardening Dog projects Parking provision New green infrastructure (SANGs) On site management/ infrastructure Codes of conduct Awareness raising Zoning
Unpalatable to some, but give confidence and removes need for complex individual assessments
End thoughts • Range of impacts from recreation: difficult to understand “in-combination” • Complex balancing act between needs to promote access and site protection • Understanding access patterns is fundamental: where people come from, where they go, what they do, why? • Powerful if linked with ecological studies; • Studies now for a range of different European sites, a range of habitat types and interest features. Issues in particular for heathland and coastal sites. • Still gaps in our understanding and a need for a ‘national’ perspective