Large wild areas are important for both nature conservation and nature‐based recreation. Information on the reciprocal relationships between recreators and the environments in which they recreate can help both conservation and recreation management. We considered motivations, perceptions, environmental concerns, and social concerns among flyfishers who recreate within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area on the Central Plateau of Tasmania, Australia. Using semi‐structured interviews with 27 participants, we established that they were motivated by a love of nature, desire for experience, escapism, connection, and challenge. On the basis of motivations and attitudes, we discriminated four groups of flyfishers: “social” (those who fish with friends), “trophy” (lone fishers who are goal‐oriented), “outdoor enthusiast” (those who enjoy the outdoor experience, fishing optional), and “hunter‐gatherer” (those prepared to travel long distances for catch). Nonetheless, all groups perceived environmental and social problems related to fishing and visitation behaviours, from littering to climate change. Fishers perceived environmental problems included identifying exotic weeds and pests but did not specifically include trout as a pest, despite their exotic status and adverse effects on native ecosystems. However, flyfishers were aware of most of their impacts and were willing to help mitigate them. Such insight is significant for geographers and those in associated disciplines and professions seeking to manage wild protected areas.
The role of recreational fishers forming paths (routes of concentrated passage characterised by short vegetation or ground indentation) as they gain access to wilderness waterbodies has not been well documented in Australia. Recreational use for trout and tournament fly fishing has increased in the Central Plateau of Tasmania; therefore, it is important to determine the human contribution to path formation and its potential consequences for biodiversity conservation in this area of high conservation value. We predicted that paths parallel to waterbodies experienced more human traffic than orthogonal paths. Across 36 sites at different distances from roads, a parallel and orthogonal path to lakeshore were sampled using eight, 1 9 1 m quadrats randomly located along each path within a 10 9 10-m plot. Recorded for each quadrat were the path widths, height difference between centre of paths and adjacent vegetation (path depth), vegetation types on and adjacent to paths, Bennetts Wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus) and Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) faecal numbers. General linear models indicated that path width was greater on parallel than orthogonal paths and declined with distance from roads. Path depth, however, was not affected by distance from roads but was shallower than orthogonal paths. Separate models used to test the potential effects of edge vegetation type, or the covariates Wallaby and Wombat scats did not have significant effects on-path variables. Paths encircling or orthogonal to Central Plateau lakes appear different floristically to adjacent vegetation communities, nonetheless. Heath and tussock grassland were largely absent from paths, whereas grassland and herbfield communities were infrequently observed off paths. Herbfield and grassland are rarer communities than heath and tussock grassland, which, in the context of a lack of exposure to erosion, suggests a conservation benefit of paths at present usage levels. The human contribution to parallel path conditions is likely to be high, given the results from the study, so monitoring of change is desirable, especially if predicted increasing human activity eventuates in this area.
Wild areas provide a wide array of recreational opportunities in nature, including informal camping. We examined the potential for land degradation associated with informal campsites accessible by vehicle on the margins of the wild country on the Central Plateau of Tasmania, where alpine and sub‐alpine ecosystems with numerous glacial and periglacial wetlands sit within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. There were no integrated analyses of the biotic and abiotic effects of informal camping on the distinctive ecosystems of Tasmania's high mountains and no work looking specifically at flyfishers campsites from anywhere in the world. We hypothesised that the impacts of informal camping on the vegetation communities, soil properties and native animals would be deleterious. We assessed impacts by comparing trampled areas and fire pits in ten campsites with geomorphologically similar adjacent controls. We found that informal camping resulted in colonisation by different plant species, greater soil compaction, more acid soils and decreased volumetric water content than control areas. Soils in 16 illegal firepits had higher pH, electrical conductivity and lower water content than the adjacent unburned ground. Visual amenity was also reduced by litter. More positively, campsite vegetation had a higher coverage of native herbs and grasses than the controls and attracted native animals, including a threatened iconic carnivore, the Tasmania devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Informal camping may offset soil damage by helping endangered animals and plants at the current visitor rate. However, more informal campers may degrade world heritage values.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.