Trail management, off-trail walking and visitor impact in the Pieniny Mts National Park (Polish Carpathians)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the numbers and percentages of various groups of visitors hiking off trail, the motives driving visitors to do so and the damaging impact on nature and the environment. Sections of eight routes in the Pieniny Mts. National Park (NP) were selected for the study. On average, 29.4 % of visitors were found to have strayed from the official routes, with children being the most prominent group (38.2 %). The groups led by guides left the trails significantly less than other groups (24.2 % and 30.5 % respectively). Technical reasons for leaving a trail, e. g. crowds or obstacles on the route, predominated over volitional reasons, such as taking photographs or resting (56.8 % and 43.2 % respectively). The proportion of persons walking off route drops significantly when the route has kerbs (Z = 2.10638; p = 0.0352), and a convenient trail surface (7.06311; p<0.0001). Additionally, a negative correlation was found between walking off the route and the mean (ρ = −0.2048; p = 0.0018) and minimum width of the route (ρ = −0.3244; p < 0.0001). A significant correlation was found between the type of habitat surrounding the route and the damaged surface (H = 37.4932; df = 2; p < 0.0001). In forest habitats, the breadth of the zone where vegetation was completely absent was significantly larger than in mixed habitats (Z = 5.35021; p < 0.0001), and non-forest habitats (Z = 5.35331; p < 0.0001). Similarly, in forest habitats the surface of the zone with damaged vegetation was significantly larger than in the remaining habitats (H = 154.7565; df = 2; p < 0.0001). The total length of informal trails branching off from the study areas was 242 m, which constituted 63 % of total length of the stages of the studied routes.

Determinants of Responsible Hiking Behavior: Results from a Stated Choice Experiment

“…This result is logical and was expected given environmental factors (the attributes which describe individuals' immediate surroundings) are consistent and strong predictors of behavioral responses, even when cognitive and sociodemographic characteristics are controlled for (Gifford 2014). While a substantive amount of previous research has either suggested anecdotally or implied a relationship between degraded trail conditions and depreciative behavior (e.g., Keirle and Stephens 2004;Kolasinska et al 2015;Leung and Marion 1996;Pearce-Higgins and Yalden 1997;Wimpey and Marion 2010), this is the first study to empirically demonstrate the positive behavioral feedback loop.…”

“…Field-based studies (e.g., Kolasinska et al 2015) enable the observation of behaviors under real environmental conditions, but are often limited by high costs and the lack of control over confounding factors such as the presence of others at the recreation setting. On the other hand, laboratory-based studies using experimental designs enable direct control over the factors of interest.…”

“…In Snowdonia National Park (UK), Keirle and Stephens (2004) found a trail surfaced with stone to prevent erosion encouraged users to stay on-trail, suggesting trail conditions could influence responsible hiking behavior. Kolasinska et al (2015) examined the factors and motives that influenced off-trail walking behavior in Pieniny National Park (Poland). Their observations of over 12,000 visitors suggest that hikers on uncomfortable trail surfaces (undefined by the authors) and on narrower trail treads were more likely to walk off-trail.…”

“…Many of these impacts are associated with irresponsible hiking behaviors, including hiking off-trail (Coppes and Braunisch 2013;Kolasinska et al 2015). Promoting responsible hiking behaviors is critical to alleviating many of the environmental impacts caused by the activity.…”

The Way to the Rocks—Changes of Networks of Hiking Trails in Chosen Sandstone Landscapes in Poland and the Czech Republic in the Period of Political Transformation

“…Erosion, trampling, littering or vandalism are typical problems reported from many protected areas, not only related to sandstones (particularly many works relating to these problems in Central Europe concern the Tatra Mountains, Pieniny and the Giant Mountains-see e.g. (Buchwał and Fidelus 2008;Hrnčiarová et al 2018;Kasprzak 2005Kasprzak , 2006Kolasińska et al 2015)). Rogowski wrote about these problems in the context of the Table Mountains, referring mainly to the monitoring system of tourist traffic (Rogowski 2017(Rogowski , 2018a(Rogowski , 2018b.…”