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© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Several Norwegian Mountain and coastal municipalities have experienced comprehensive second home development in recent decades. From a sustainability perspective, it is necessary to understand both the importance of various geographical locations within a local context, as the location has an impact on available resources, amenities, and courses of action, and the complex interdependencies between the three sustainability pillars: economy, society, and environment. The purpose of the article is to provide knowledge on why and how various locations matter for planning sustainable second-home tourism. The analysis is based on document studies and interviews from three Norwegian destinations, supplemented with official statistics. The findings indicate that emphasis on, and development challenges associated with, the sustainability pillars differ across locations. They also indicate that local capacities to assess, plan, and implement adequate measures to address specific sustainable development challenges vary. Hence, there is a need for regional and local authorities to reflect on the driving forces behind the development of second-home tourism, as the impacts vary depending on what and who is driving the development. The authors conclude that it matters where second-home development is planned and what sustainability measures are adequate, applicable, and available. Nevertheless, all three pillars must be considered even if just one is enhanced

Tourism and recreation in protected areas may compromise conservation values if their forms and volumes exceed the area’s tolerance. Disturbance-sensitive species such as wild and semi-domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in most mountain areas in Fennoscandia are particularly vulnerable to humans, but disturbance research seldom includes data on the human component of this co-existence. By estimating the visitor volume in space and time and visitor characteristics in the largest national park and wild reindeer range in Norway we analyzed reindeer trail crossing propensity and examined the spatial overlap between humans and GPS-collared female reindeer (n¼98) during summer. The data showed that female reindeer herds used areas with overall less human traffic and recreational infrastructure. Reindeer herds started avoiding crossing hiking trails used by more than 10–15 persons per day and avoided crossing trails when visitor volumes exceeded 30–50 persons per day. During the hunting season, the herds were largely dispersed and crossed over trails independent of visitor volume, indicating a collective flight response to hunters. We discuss how including data on human use can further our understanding of ecological effects in disturbance research and how it can improve management interventions for better co-existence between humans and reindeer.