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The main objective of this Austria Fire Futures study is to develop a unique and innovative concept containing new sets of fire risk hotspot maps at highest spatial resolution under various climate change scenarios and integrate novel insights on local fuel types into forest and forest fire risk models, including new variables such as morphology and recreational activities. To generate such maps on a local scale, fire hazard modeling is necessary to identify endangered forest types in combination with topographic effects. Furthermore, recent fire events in the Austrian Alps show that social aspects, particularly the hiking tourism, are paid too little attention to.Based on the above motivation, we believe that an innovative and improved fire risk hotspot mapping is the fundament for all further forest- and wildfire prevention and hence needs to be seen as an indispensable tool for an integrated fire management (prevention, suppression, post fire measures) while substantially contributing to mitigating climate change as well as minimizing damage to ecosystems, their services, and people.The study will improve our understanding of fire-vulnerable forest areas that may shift over time and space given the underlying climate and fuel assumptions. This will allow experts, practitioners, and the interested public to take a look into the future in order to comprehend and derive solid short-/medium-/and long-term recommendations for fire resilient and sustainable forest management and fire emergency planning.

The importance of place in landscape management and outdoor recreation has been prominent in the literature since the 1970s. As such, calls to incorporate place into the management of parks, forests, and other protected areas exist. However, little work explores how place attachment may complement existing management frameworks. Hence, the purpose of this investigation was to explore levels of visitors’ place attachment intensity across the six classes of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS). Survey data collected in North America and Europe indicated there was more similarity in place attachment intensities among areas classified toward the less developed end of the ROS, while greater variation existed among the more developed sites. Observing place attachment across all six ROS classes allowed for a deeper understanding of the correlation between place and the management framework.

Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive forest insect from Asia, has impacted vast areas in the United States and European Russia. To proactively understand the social impact of an EAB invasion in Europe and the USA, this study analyzed visitors’ preferences and preference heterogeneity for EAB-impacted forest scenarios in Vienna, Austria (n = 510) and Minneapolis, USA (n = 307). An image-based discrete choice experiment with latent-class analysis among on-site completed questionnaires in Vienna indicated four different visitor segments based on trade-offs among biophysical, social and viewscape elements. Within the forested environment, two segments placed greater importance on (bio)physical attributes and two on social aspects. Although all segments preferred a non-impacted ash forest, only one of the four identified the attribute describing EAB impacts and forest management as the most important attribute. Rather, visitor numbers and background viewscapes were more important than EAB impact and management to differentiate landscape preferences for three of the four segments. Differences in preferences were found between the Vienna and Minneapolis samples. Vienna respondents showed a higher preference for more natural conditions, disliked more the initial stage of EAB impact and placed more importance on background viewscapes and visitor numbers. Forest managers and greenspace planners need to consider the entirety of the forested condition, social and visual, for effective management and address that visitors differ in their preferences for all of these conditions.

Semi-natural, extensively managed, grasslands are among the most species-rich agroecosystems in Europe. However, they are threatened by abandonment. We investigated the response of semi-natural grasslands to cessation of mowing at ten sites in three UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Switzerland and Austria. We assessed vegetation characteristics, topsoil properties and microbially mediated soil processes by comparing once-a-year mowed with adjacent long-term abandoned grasslands on semi-dry, nutrient-poor, base-rich soils. Plant litter decomposition was determined using standardized substrates (Tea Bag Index). Soil microbial community composition was assessed by phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Abandonment altered floristic composition by replacing shade-intolerant or low-growing grassland species, in particular character species of the alliance Bromion erecti, with medium- to tall-sized grasses (e.g. Brachypodium pinnatum) and tall herbs (e.g. Laserpitium latifolium). Time since abandonment had an influence on the magnitude of successional changes after abandonment. Cessation of mowing increased above-ground phytomass but decreased plant species richness and evenness. Abandonment increased soil microbial biomass, promoted litter decomposition and led to an increased soil organic carbon, C:N ratio, and inorganic N supply. Our findings also showed that abandoned grasslands dominated by grasses remained shrub- and treeless for several decades.

Traditionally managed mountain grasslands are biodiversity hotspots in central Europe. However, socio-economic trends in agriculture during the last decades have changed farming practices, leaving steep and remote sites abandoned. Especially the abandonment of meadows is well known to directly affect plant and insect diversity. However, not much is known about the effects on soil processes and soil biota. To assess this, we studied four extensively managed (mown once a year, no fertilization) and four abandoned (no mowing, no fertilization) semi-dry meadows in a mountain region in Austria. Plant species richness, plant cover, plant traits, plant biomass, litter decomposition (tea bag index), and earthworm species richness and density were assessed. Additionally, soil temperature, moisture and electrical conductivity were measured. Results showed that managed meadows contained more plant species than abandoned meadows (118 vs. 93 species, respectively). We also observed different plant species assemblages between the two management types. In managed meadows, hemirosette and ruderal plant species were more abundant, while more plant species without rosettes and a higher plant necromass were found in abandoned meadows. Additionally, decomposition rate was higher in abandoned meadows. There was a trend towards higher earthworm densities in managed meadows, but there was no difference in earthworm species richness. We conclude that meadow management has effects on both aboveground vegetation and belowground biota and processes. Both abandoned and extensively managed meadows were important to sustain overall biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the study region.

Bark beetle outbreak impacts are occurring at reportedly unprecedented levels. Despite previous research on the aesthetic and economic impacts of terrestrial pest infestations, minimal visitor behavioral response research exists. As beetle infestation progresses, both tree appearance and landscape change can negatively impact visitation and visitor revenue. Given the multiple-use mandate of most forests, this lack of research is surprising. To meet this gap, this study simulated impacts of varied beetle outbreak levels, management approaches, and visitor characteristics on interference with forest visitors’ experience and intended displacement. Visitors at two forested US state park study sites, one with significant bark beetle impact and the other with much less, responded to onsite questionnaires with digitally calibrated photos depicting a variety of beetle-impacted forest scenarios. Up to 80 percent of visitors indicated forest scenarios with significant bark beetle impact would interfere with their experience, and 70 percent reported they would not visit or be displaced. Analyses revealed forest fore- and midground conditions with varying levels of impact significantly predicted both experience interference and displacement. The relative importance of social, biophysical, and managerial conditions differed between models. Results inform management and planning efforts as well as advance understanding of the biophysical and social factors influencing interference and intended displacement.

Impacts of heat periods and stressful life increasingly impact urban population. Green infrastructure such as urban forests can reduce heat-related stress and provide a restorative experience. The study explored preferences of 160 urban woodland visitors in Vienna for, and their trade-offs between, structural components of forest stands using a discrete choice experiment with digitally calibrated images. Three different visitor intentions for choosing a forest stand were explored: preference, heat relief and restorative experience. Results showed that respondents preferred forest stands with a closed canopy and ground vegetation, but without high amounts of dead wood. The structural components were weighed differently by respondents with ground vegetation being the most important component relative to the other forest stand components investigated. While components providing shade became more important for heat relief, results for visitor preferences and restoration were very similar. Results indicate that different recreational intentions lead to different visual preferences for forest stands. Respondents would tolerate a less aesthetically appealing forest stand for a visit to a forest during hot days. Urban foresters may develop a specific type of forest stands to encounter the increasing impacts of urban heat.

The study explored whether national-park affinity segments of tourists differ regarding their level of specialization in, attitudes towards, and satisfaction with, national parks between 2013 and 2014. The research categorized 429 overnight tourists to the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, into three affinity segments based on the role the national park played in their travel decision. More than the half of the respondents had a high or rather high national-park affinity. Differences in specialization, attitudes and satisfaction between the segments were found. However, differences were only observed between the more national park-interested segments compared to visitors who are not aware of visiting a national park or whose decision to visit the area was not influenced by the national park label, except for satisfaction. Tourists with higher national-park affinity had more positive attitudes towards, and were more specialized in, national parks and were more satisfied with nature conservation management. For satisfaction, most differences were observed between the segment with the lowest and the one with the highest affinity. Study findings may support sustainable park management and park affinity research.

Invasive alien species (IAS) can cause ecological and economic damages. To reduce or prevent these damages different management and prevention strategies aim to impede new establishments or a further spreading of IAS. However, for these measures to be successful, public knowledge of risks and threats of IAS as well as public support for eradication measures are important prerequisites. We conducted a survey to examine (i) public and experts' awareness and knowledge of IAS, (ii) their preferences for six invasive plant species and (iii) their preferences for and trade-offs among management alternatives in Switzerland. In addition, a choice experiment was applied to analyse preferences concerning the intensity, priority and costs of interventions. Both, the Swiss public and the experts have a preference for intervening against invasive alien species. However, the public and the experts differ in their priorities of combatting particular species, resulting in a different ranking of intervention necessities. Further, differences were found in the willingness to pay for interventions between the German-, French- and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland. The results suggest that a higher problem awareness increases the willingness to pay for countermeasures. We conclude that education programs or information campaigns are promising instruments to raise public awareness and to avoid conflicts concerning the management of invasive alien species.

This study examined the acceptability of different silvicultural treatments to restore pine barrens, an open, fire-dependent forest landscape type globally imperiled across the northern Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. In an online survey, we asked family-forest owners (N = 466) in Northeastern Wisconsin about the acceptability of pine barrens restoration treatments through ratings of both verbal descriptions and visual scenarios. An informational statement about pine barrens restoration purposes and goals preceded ratings for half the sample. Across the entire sample, acceptability ratings for eleven verbally-described treatments generally declined as treatments became more intensive, creating greater openness on the landscape. Information recipients found two groups of treatments identified by factor analysis (selective openings, fire) more acceptable than non-recipients, and cluster analysis identified four respondent subgroups, each with varying levels of acceptability. The respondents also rated the acceptability of visual scenarios, with treatment attribute combinations portraying a range of likely restoration alternatives. While we generally found correspondence between verbal and visual acceptability ratings across the entire sample, the groups distinguished by their verbal acceptability ratings did not substantially differ in how they rated the acceptability of the visual scenarios. Implications are discussed for designing and communicating the purpose and value of restoration treatments to stakeholder groups.

Pine barrens are open‐canopy ecological communities once prevalent on sandy soils across the northern Great Lakes Region of the United States and Canada, though fire suppression and plantation forestry have now reduced them to a few isolated areas. Efforts to restore pine barrens are underway on some public lands, but lack of knowledge on the social and ecological issues and challenges that affect these projects impedes fuller progress. As a precursor to designing a public preference survey for pine barrens restoration, we sought input from those with expert knowledge about pine barrens. Using a three‐round modified Delphi survey, forest land managers and researchers identified the key characteristics of pine barrens and important current and future management challenges. Key characteristics were related to fire, landscape structure, plant and animal species, soils, and social themes. Current and future challenges were related to landscape, invasive species, social, economic, climate change, and science themes. Four social issues (education, fire acceptance, fire risk, aesthetics) were rated among the top current challenges but none of them maintained prominence as future challenges. Potential explanations for this shift are that the experts felt these social concerns would be resolved in time or that other issues, such as development pressures and budgets for carrying out restoration, would become greater future challenges. Our approach can be used by managers and researchers to better understand the ecosystems they seek to restore and to communicate with public stakeholders about restoration efforts.

This research seeks the factors that influence perceived crowding at Ohiopyle State Park, located in southeastern Pennsylvania (U.S.). While Ohiopyle is one of the most visited rivers for whitewater recreation in the eastern part of the U.S., and with a growing demand for this type of recreation, there is the need to assess crowding issues at Ohiopyle. For this study, private boaters at the Lower Youghiogheny River were asked to complete a survey during the summer 2014 recreation season. A total of 398 on-site surveys were completed. Regression analysis showed that crowding was significantly influenced by take-out waiting time, expected use level, reported and acceptable level of use. Management implications are described for Ohiopyle State Park and the Lower Youghiogheny River. Subscribe to JPRA

In den letzten vier Jahrzehnten hat sich das UNESCO-Programm Man and the Biosphere (MAB) und damit auch sein Weltnetz der Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) kontinuierlich weiterentwickelt und sich entsprechend den geanderten globalen nachhaltigkeitspolitischen Grundsatzen angepasst. Zwar gilt die Sevilla-Strategie mit ihren verpflichtenden Rahmenbedingungen (Statutory Framework; UNESCO 1996) weiter, mit dem Aktionsplan von Madrid (UNESCO 2008) und zuletzt der MAB-Strategie 2015–2025 mit dem zugehorigen Aktionsplan von Lima (LAP) 2016–2025 (UNESCO 2016a, 2016b, 2017a) ist das Konzept der UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR) aber zuletzt in der Substanz neu aufgestellt worden. Besonders sichtbar wird dies anhand des 2013 angelaufenen Prozesses der Qualitatssicherung im WNBR (Exit / Excellence Strategy). Der Artikel beschreibt zunachst inhaltliche und formale Anpassungen des MAB-Programms von seiner Grundung bis heute und gibt dann einen Uberblick uber die im Rahmen der Umsetzung der Agenda 2030 und des aktuellen Lima-Aktionsplans notwendigen Aufgaben fur die BR und die dafur verantwortlichen Stakeholder in Osterreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz. Die Zusammenschau von LAP-Masnahmen und Zustandigkeiten, die auf einem vom deutschen MAB-Nationalkomitee 2017 verabschiedeten Positionspapier aufbaut (MAB Deutschland 2017), wurde im vorliegenden Artikel auf die Umsetzung des LAP in Osterreich fokussiert.

Background Heatwaves form a serious public health threat, especially for vulnerable groups. Interventions such as active outreach programs, exposure reduction measures and monitoring and mapping of at-risk groups are increasingly implemented across the world but little is known about their effect. Objectives To assess how vulnerable groups are identified and reached in heat health interventions, to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of those interventions, and to identify research gaps in existing literature. Methods We performed a literature search in relevant scientific literature databases and searched with a four element search model for articles published from 1995 onward. We extracted data on intervention measures, target group and evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency. Results We identified 23 eligible studies. Patterns exist in type of interventions 1) to detect and 2) to influence extrinsic and intrinsic risk and protective factors. Results showed several intervention barriers related to the variety and intersection of these factors, as well as the self-perception of vulnerable groups, and misconceptions and unfavorable attitudes towards intervention benefits. While modest indications for the evidence on the effectiveness of interventions were found, efficiency remains unclear. Discussion Interventions entailed logical combinations of measures, subsumed as packages. Evidence for effective and efficient intervention is limited by the difficulty to determine effects and because single measures are mutually dependent. Interventions prioritized promoting behavioral change and were based on behavioral assumptions that remain untested and mechanisms not worked out explicitly. Conclusions Multifaceted efforts are needed to tailor interventions, compiled in heat health warning systems and action plans for exposure reduction and protection of vulnerable populations, to fit the social, economic and geographical context. Besides adequately addressing relevant risk and protective factors, the challenge is to integrate perspectives of vulnerable groups. Future research should focus on intervention barriers and improving the methods of effectiveness and efficiency evaluation.

Research on place attachment suggests that place identity and place dependence differ between recreationists with varying levels of specialization, recreating in different settings and with different resource proximities to their home. To further explore this relationship, we compared place attachment and recreation specialization of whitewater boaters in four different river settings. Data were collected on three rivers in the US and one in Austria. Place attachment was measured using four place identity and four place dependence items. Recreation specialization was treated as a multivariate construct consisting of the three dimensions; behavior, skill, and enduring involvement. The results of a cluster analysis revealed three specialization clusters. Two ANOVAs were performed by using place dependence and place identity as dependent variables and specialization clusters and the sampling rivers as independent variables. Place identity was not expressed differently between rivers but differed in specialization clusters. Place dependence was different between rivers but not between specialization clusters. Findings suggest that place attachment dimensions vary in river setting and specialization levels. Management should take into account that boaters exhibit different place attachment based on the specialization level and resource proximity to their home.

Recreation pressure on natural resource settings, as well as the demand for new wind-energy production sites, is growing. In addition, extensive outbreaks of tree-killing insects are globally increasing. Protected-area managers are facing conflicts on proper land uses in and around their areas, and need information on visitor preferences for developing a land use policy for their area, accepted by the public. So far, little research has examined national park visitors’ responses to windmills and recreational infrastructures, visual changes in forest recreation settings resulting from forest insect infestations, high use pressures, and how visitors weigh trade-offs between these technical, biophysical, and socio-environment factors. This study explored national park visitor preferences with a discrete choice experiment that photographically simulated spruce forest stands with varying levels of recreational and technical infrastructures including the presence of windmills, bark beetle outbreaks, forest management practices, and visitor use levels. On-site surveys were conducted with visitors to the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany (N = 514). Results revealed that the condition of the forest surrounding, followed by the presence of windmills, was the most important variable influencing visitors’ landscape preferences. Visitors preferred healthy mature forest stands and disliked forests with substantial dead wood, many windmills close to the viewpoint and high visitor numbers. Findings suggest that forest conditions and technical infrastructure are important concerns in addressing landscape preferences for forested protected areas and that trade-offs among these variables exist.

Despite the fact that urbanisation, population ageing and international migration constitute major societal developments of our time, little attention has been paid to studying them together in a comprehensive manner. In this paper, we argue that, when treating age and ethnicity as practical processes for addressing and identifying with social groups, it is necessary to do so from a ‘doing’ perspective. The question we ask focuses on which social memberships are made relevant or irrelevant in residential environments and how that relevance or irrelevance is established. Drawing upon a quantitative study among individuals of Turkish migrant origin living in Vienna, Austria, we find that it is rather common for the respondents to have been assigned to multiple intersecting social groups and that they were treated unfairly in their own neighbourhoods. However, such ascriptions do not necessarily correspond to objective categorisations of research or subjective identifications. Hence, the discrimination that is present in a neighbourhood does not necessarily lead to decreased place attachment or a diminishing sense of home. In fact, we find that the ‘satisfaction paradox’ is quite common in environmental gerontology and that it may actually intersect with the ‘immigration paradox’. Applying processual intersectionality is not only fruitful for research, it can also improve the conceptualisation of age-friendly cities.

The outcome of assessments of the biodiversity of a taxonomic group often depend on the sampling method. The choice of an adequate method is especially important for biomonitoring purposes. In this study, the effectiveness of two methods of sampling syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) is compared: observation plot method vs. line transect, both sampled by sweep netting. Altogether, 18 meadows were selected in three mountain regions in the Austrian and Swiss Alps. We recorded a significantly higher abundance and richness of syrphids using the observation plot method than the line transect method in 2015. Comparing data for one region recorded in 2015 and 2016, similar results were obtained. Syrphid species assemblages were affected by sampling method in both years. More syrphid species and individuals were recorded using the observation plot method, which makes it more suitable for studies aiming at comparing differences in the numbers of adult syrphids in different grassland habitats.

Previous research has found higher levels of heatwave mortality and morbidity among urban residents with a migration background because of their social, health and environmental conditions. The purpose of the study was to investigate and compare heat induced changes in the outdoor recreation behaviours of Turkish migrants with those of non-migrants on hot days in Vienna. Specifically, the study compared coping behaviours due to heat such as inter-area, intra-area, temporal and activity displacement between migrants and non-migrants. The study interviewed 400 migrants and non-migrants in four public green spaces of different area sizes and asked about their outdoor recreation motives and activities, as well as behavioural changes, due to summer heat. Results show that migrants have different motives for visiting urban green spaces on hot days, and that they visit these less frequently on hot days compared to non-migrants. While both groups shift their outdoor uses more to shady areas and the cooler times of the day, more migrants visit green spaces in the afternoon, perform more energetic recreational activities, and use sunnier sites more frequently than non-migrants on hot days. Few migrants and non-migrants stated that they would visit alternative green spaces when it is hot. The results indicate that migrants’ behaviours result in higher heat exposure, while making less use of the opportunities larger green spaces such as forests can provide for heat relief. Recommendations on how green and city planners could reduce heat related health risks for both study groups are presented.

A pine barrens is an open, fire-dependent ecological community once prevalent in sandy areas of northern Wisconsin (USA). Efforts to restore pine barrens on public lands have been hampered in part because their character does not conform to many people’s ideals of Northwoods forest scenery, challenging land managers on how to balance social and ecological goals. We studied the manager-relevant attributes of a pine barrens restoration site to predict nearby landowners’ landscape preferences and to ascertain whether their preferences differed. We designed a discrete choice experiment where different levels of six attributes of pine barrens were systematically manipulated in visual choice scenarios and presented to landowners (N = 542) of small, family forest parcels in an online survey. Half of the respondents read an informational statement about barrens ecology and management prior to judging the scenarios for visual preference, while everyone answered questions about their knowledge and experience with barrens. Results showed dominant preferences for scenarios indicating a Northwoods “scenic aesthetic,” with smaller openings, higher tree density, and lower fire intervals and understory shrub density. Latent class and a priori segmentations revealed smaller subgroups of landowners had higher preferences for more open treatment designs tending toward an “ecological aesthetic,” and while previous experiences at pine barrens helped to distinguish subgroups, prior knowledge and information did not. Implications are discussed for restoring pine barrens in a social context.

Extensive outbreaks of the emerald ash borer ( Agrilus planipennis ; EAB), an invasive forest insect, are having serious impacts on the cultural ecosystem services of urban forests in the United States and other countries. Limited experience with how such outbreaks might affect recreational opportunities prompted this investigation of visitors to a state park in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, where EAB damage is occurring. A photo-questionnaire solicited visitors’ visual preferences for trail environments in a discrete choice experiment. Systematically manipulated digital images simulated different levels of EAB impact in combination with other physical and social attributes including trail-proximate EAB-related forest management responses, land use context of the viewscape beyond the trail environment, visitor types, and visitor densities. Results indicated that EAB impacts were significant but of lesser importance than surrounding viewscape development and visitor numbers. Specifically, respondents preferred dense trailside shrub vegetation and low trail user numbers and disliked viewscapes showing city buildings and removal of most ash trees. Results suggest that trail planning should not only consider near-view landscape impacts but also the visual quality of more distant viewscapes, and that urban forest managers need to be aware of how forest insect impacts and subsequent management responses affect recreation setting preferences.

Researchers often measure human–place bonds via place attachment scales across a variety of settings. However, scale use does not always include an evaluation of the scales’ psychometric properties, especially in multisite studies. Failure to consider a place attachment scale’s measurement properties makes both validity and reliability assumptions and may lead to improper data interpretation. Hence, this investigation assessed a place attachment scale across three sites via data collected on site in natural resource protected areas in Colorado, Minnesota, and Germany. A series of confirmatory factor analyses assessed the hypothesized two-dimensional (i.e., place identity and place dependence) model, Cronbach’s alphas calculated a measure of internal consistency, and a multigroup procedure cross-validated the scale. Some items did not load on the hypothesized dimension and the pattern of factor loadings was not equivalent across settings, suggesting assessment of place attachment scales may be nece...

Heat affects cities because of the urban heat island effect and will increasingly affect these areas due to ongoing urbanization and climate change. Among those most vulnerable towards urban heat are the elderly. This study analysed coping behaviours to avoid heat stress among 193 elderly residents living independently in urban heat islands of Vienna. A visual discrete choice experiment employed digitally calibrated images to simulate urban green spaces and analysed green-space preferences of the elderly on hot days. This study found three coping behaviours among the elderly: outdoor, home and second-home coping. Heat-coping segments differ in their health status, adaptive capacity and green-space use. Green spaces which provide shadow and a pond and which are easily accessible and cooler than the home would encourage most of the elderly for a visit. Segments differ in their preferences for green spaces. Study findings underline the importance of a heat-adjusted green-space design for the elderly.

Associations between biodiversity, human health and well-being have never been discussed with reference to agriculturally managed, species-rich mountainous meadows. We evaluated these associations between extensively managed (one mowing a year, no fertilization) and abandoned (no mowing since more than 80 years, no fertilization) semi-dry meadows located in the Austrian and Swiss Alps. We quantified the richness and abundance of plants, grasshoppers, true bugs, bumblebees, syrphids and landscape characteristics in the surroundings of the meadows. Associations between these biodiversity attributes and short-term psychological and physiological human health effects were assessed with 22 participants (10 males, 12 females; mean age 27 years). Participants´ pulse rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were not affected during visits to managed or abandoned meadows. However, perceived health benefits (e.g., stress reduction, attention restoration) were higher during their stays in managed than in abandoned meadows. Also, the attractiveness of the surrounding landscape and the recreation suitability were rated higher when visiting managed meadows. Perceived naturalness was positively correlated with plant richness and flower cover. A positive correlation was found between SBP and forest cover, but SBP was negatively correlated with the open landscape. A negative association was found between grasshoppers and recreational and landscape perceptions. We suggest to discuss biodiversity attributes not only in connection with agricultural management but also with cultural ecosystem services and health benefits to raise more awareness for multifaceted interrelationships between ecosystems and humans.

Recreation specialization is a leisure concept used frequently in outdoor recreation; applied here to further understand heterogeneity among whitewater boaters. This study used a sample of two low-use Oregon rivers (one managed by the U.S. Forest Service and one by the Bureau of Land Management). To provide for the best possible low-use experience, managers should understand boaters’ preferences of social, resource, and managerial attributes and the relative importance placed on those attributes. This research analyzed whether preferences and tradeoffs of 308 whitewater boaters for social, resource and managerial attributes of riverscapes differ in level of recreation specialization in whitewater boating. A visual discrete choice experiment explored the differences in preferences and tradeoff behavior for river trip scenarios between three specialization groups. The results revealed that boaters with different specialization levels had similar preferences for two social attributes (number of people on the river, waiting time for parking). Paddlers of all specialization levels placed high importance on the attribute number of people on the river, suggesting that this attribute plays a significant role for boaters recreating in low-use settings. Most boaters were willing to tolerate managerial restrictions (e.g., river access fee) to achieve the desired low-use river experience. River management can ensure low-use levels by using direct management systems such as user fee up to eight dollars, or partial allocation systems. The resource attributes (river difficulty, trip length) differed among the specialization groups confirming that more specialized boaters are looking for a more challenge-driven experience. Resource managers can use this information to define a target group for a specific river. Finally, length can be adjusted according to the specialization level of the target group by offering more river access areas. Study findings suggest that preferences and tradeoff behavior are not always consistent along the specialization continuum and that a low-use river setting attracts a particular target group of boaters. Subscribe to JPRA

Zusammenfassung Gästezahlen bilden eine Grundlage für die Berechnung der ökonomischen Wirkungen des Tourismus und für die Entwicklung von Besuchermanagementstrategien der Gebietsverwaltungen. Viele Schutz- und Erholungsgebiete, vor allem jene, die in der Stadt oder am Stadtrand liegen, haben neben der (tages)touristischen auch eine Wohnumfeldfunktion, die zwar ökonomisch betrachtet wenig relevant ist, aber insbesondere für das Gebietsmanagement viele Herausforderungen mit sich bringt. Vorliegende Studie vergleicht drei größere Erholungs- und Schutzgebiete in Wien, deren Besucherstruktur sich aus unterschiedlichen Anteilen an Tagestouristen und BesucherInnen aus dem Wohnumfeld zusammensetzt, hinsichtlich Intensität und zeitlicher Verteilung der Erholungsnutzung. In allen Gebieten wurde mit denselben Besuchererfassungsmethoden (Langzeitzählung, Vor-Ort-Befragung) gearbeitet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich ein hoher Anteil an Tagestouristen in einer stärkeren zeitlichen Konzentration der Erholungsnutzung z. B. im Tages- oder Jahresverlauf manifestiert, während die Erholungsnutzung in Gebieten mit hohem Anteil an Wohnumfeldnutzung ausgeglichener ist.

This study explored visitors’ preferences for social conditions of trail use in urban forests. It is important to understand the heterogeneous nature of visitor preferences because the recreational use of urban forests is characterized by multipurpose uses with different visiting motivations. To understand preference heterogeneity, this study used a discrete choice experiment using a latent class model that incorporated motivational and sociodemographic factors as membership likelihood function. In 2006, 256 visitors to the Nopporo Forest Park, Hokkaido, in northern Japan, completed questionnaires with a series of discrete choice tasks using computer-manipulated images presenting various social conditions of trail use, such as visitor numbers and harvesting behavior on wild food plants. The study identified two visitor groups. One group consisted of more elders whose motivation was to enjoy the natural environment. Although they tended to tolerate crowded conditions, they particularly disliked plant pickers, who harvest wild vegetables alongside the trail. The other group was less tolerant of crowds, and enjoying the natural environment was not their primary purpose for visiting the park. These visitors especially disliked excessive numbers of visitors, but they did not dislike plant pickers. These results suggest that traditional park management assumptions about typical visitors poorly serve the heterogeneous nature of the visitor population.

Recent research has indicated that the younger generations may be disconnected from nature and even show some dislike for natural conditions. This study addressed adolescents’ preferences for riverscapes with varying fluvial dynamics as recreational settings. A stated choice survey with digitally calibrated river scenarios asked Austrian pupils (N = 281) about their preferences for several physical and social characteristics of a floodplain landscape. Pupils perceived riverscapes with a high water dynamic as best for recreation, while water bodies with low water levels and algae, dry river sites, floods and littered trails were disliked. Heterogeneity among the pupils was found with one smaller segment preferring settings with high water dynamic and low human impact, while the larger one preferred settings with more human impact and low water dynamic. This segment that shows some dislike for natural conditions had less experience with rivers and scored lower on natural river-related attitudes and ...

The study compared psychological and physiological health effects of short-term stays at managed and abandoned meadows, a mountain river, and an urban site of a dependent sample of 22 adult participants (mean age 27) during an 11-day field trip. The study found that pulse rates decreased during the stays at all the meadows and the urban site while no decrease was observed at the river. Blood pressure increased at all sites during the stay, with no study-site differences for systolic, but for diastolic, blood pressure. Participants reported more positive psychological health effects as a result of their stays at the most remote meadow and the river on attention restoration, stress reduction and wellbeing compared to the urban site, while no differences in health perceptions were observed between managed and unmanaged meadows. This study suggests that perceived and measured health benefits were independent of the degree of naturalness of meadows. While differences measured on the physiological level between urban built and natural sites were marginal, psychological measures showed higher health benefits of the natural environments compared to the built one.

A supportive attitude of residents towards protected areas is crucial for successful implementation and management, particularly in densely populated regions such as Central Europe. While previous studies have revealed that emotional and cultural drivers, as well as information level and group membership, can influence attitudes towards protected areas, the effect of place-attachment dimensions remains unclear. A postal survey among local residents (N = 460) explored factors influencing attitudes towards the Lungau (-Nockberge) Biosphere Reserve in Austria before its official recognition. Results indicated societal support throughout all socio-demographic strata. A logistic regression showed that, besides socio-demographics and information level, place attachment had a significant influence on the acceptance of the biosphere reserve. Supporters and opponents showed both high place identity and dependence, while waverers scored low on these dimensions. Results indicate that place attachment is relevant for...

User satisfaction has frequently been used to evaluate outdoor recreationists’ quality of the experience. Similarly, recreational conflict has been important in previous literature as an approach t...

Urban forest managers regularly deal with recreational trail impacts and dissatisfied trail users. This exploratory study examined the extent to which various objectively measured recreational impacts on urban forest trails are perceived by trail users, and how perceptions affect the quality of their experience. The influence of age and education was also examined. An integrated approach combining biophysical and social science aspects was used with a convenience sample of university students and retirees ( N = 82). A 1700 m long study trail through a natural forest within an urban landscape park was pre-assessed before the walk for visual impacts such as erosion, litter, exposed roots, vandalism, muddy trail sections, divergent and parallel trails, excessive trail width, domestic animal waste and sporting activity impacts. After the participants had walked the trail individually, they completed a questionnaire which asked which trail impacts they had noticed, to what extent they had noticed them, and whether and to what degree that had influenced their recreation experience. The results indicated that some impacts such as muddy trail sections and informal trails were perceived to a much greater extent than assessors had objectively measured them.

Many urban societies are faced with a growing incidence of poor health because of mental stress and sedentary lifestyles. Urban green spaces are increasingly seen as a counter to hectic city living and as restorative settings. This study investigates the preferences for site characteristics green-space visitors have when they are seeking stress relief compared to their general green-space preferences. This study developed a conceptual framework integrating physical and social characteristics of different green-space types in Vienna, Austria and investigated the preferences of 692 on-site visitors. A stated choice model with digitally calibrated images found that visitors’ general preferences are similar to their site preferences when seeking stress relief. However, for stress relief, visitor numbers played a more important role in their green-space choices, while litter and trail environment played a larger role in general preferences. The stress-relief preferences of respondents did not differ remarkably subject to their own reported stress level. Recommendations for green-space planning are derived.

Extensive outbreaks of tree-killing insects are increasing across forests in Europe and North America due to climate change and other factors. Yet, little recent research examines visitor response to visual changes in conifer forest recreation settings resulting from forest insect infestations, how visitors weigh trade-offs between physical and social forest environment factors, or how visitor preferences might differ by nationality. This study explored forest visitor preferences with a discrete choice experiment that photographically simulated conifer forest stands with varying levels of bark beetle outbreaks, forest and visitor management practices, and visitor use levels and compositions. On-site surveys were conducted with visitors to State Forest State Park in Colorado (n = 200), Lake Bemidji State Park in Minnesota (n = 228), and Harz National Park in Germany (n = 208). Results revealed that the condition of the immediate forest surrounding was the most important variable influencing visitors' landscape preferences. Visitors preferred healthy mature forest stands and disliked forests with substantial dead wood. The number of visitors was the most important social factor influencing visitor landscape preferences. Differences in the influence of physical and social factors on visual preferences existed between study sites. Findings suggest that both visual forest conditions and visitor use management are important concerns in addressing landscape preferences for beetle-impacted forest recreation areas.

Ever since the 2003 heat wave that caused 70,000 heat deaths, the dramatic consequences of climate change and rising temperatures in Europe have become an intensively researched topic. During heat waves, the older urban adult population is at highest risk. The STOPHOT project is the first investigation in Austria to establish a comprehensive knowledge base on heat perception, awareness of heat risks and adaptive/coping behaviours among older adults. The main research questions include: (1) Does climate change endanger the chances of successful ageing in urban areas? (2) How do age, social inequalities and the living environment intersect with environmental stressors in affecting successful ageing? (3) Which heat adaption strategies do older adults deploy and to what extent can they mediate heat stress in an effort to increase chances of successful ageing under the conditions of climate change? The results indicate that climate change and rising temperatures are in fact one important determinant of whether and how an older person can maintain well-being in later life. Older adults (> 65 years) with a low socio-economic status and poor health conditions, who tend to be socially isolated, are most at risk. However, no 'heat island effect' of the residential environment could be found. How much a person suffers from heat stress is highly dependent on the adaption strategies deployed. Adaption strategies of older urban residents mostly centred on body-related measures, such as drinking more or wearing lighter clothes, and indoor-centred measures, particularly avoiding the outdoors.