Species composition, elevation, and former management type affect browsing pressure on forest regeneration in the Tatra National Park

Abstract Effects of ungulate pressure on the development of young generation of trees is one of the most important issues in ecology and forestry. Ungulate pressure influence on the development of natural regeneration has been also reported from several national parks. Our study on the effects of ungulate browsing on the young generation of trees was conducted on more than 500 sample plots controlled during one growing season. The overall browsing pressure ranged from 7.6% in seedlings to 20.3% in low saplings. The pressure of ungulates on the regeneration of Picea abies, the dominant species in the Tatra National Park, was by and large below 1%. Broadleaved species were browsed more frequently. The relationship between the plot altitudes and browsing intensity was statistically significant for seedlings and low saplings; at the higher altitudes, the browsing pressure was greater. There was also observed a statistically significant relationship between the type of former management and the browsing degree in seedlings; in the areas subjected to “landscape protection”, the intensity of browsing was higher when compared to strictly protected areas. Pressure exerted by ungulates on tree regeneration was very unevenly distributed, i.e. some plots were heavily browsed and many others - not browsed at all. The most affected tree species were Salix caprea and Sorbus aucuparia, although the percentage of browsed individuals rarely exceeded 50%. Other species favored by ungulates was Acer pseudoplatanus; despite the high browsing pressure, this species was present among seedlings and tall saplings, suggesting that it would be able to recruit to the tree layer. Abies alba was browsed less frequently than the deciduous trees; however, among the tall saplings it was the third most browsed species.

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From Competition to Cooperation: A History of Canada–US National Park Relations

Environment and History ◽

10.3197/096734019x15631846928783 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Terence Young ◽

Alan MacEachern ◽

Lary Dilsaver

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

The United States ◽

The Us ◽

Park Service ◽

Settler Societies ◽

History Of ◽

Relationship Of ◽

Flow Of Information ◽

The Relationship

This essay explores the evolving international relationship of the two national park agencies that in 1968 began to offer joint training classes for protected-area managers from around the world. Within the British settler societies that dominated nineteenth century park-making, the United States’ National Park Service (NPS) and Canada’s National Parks Branch were the most closely linked and most frequently cooperative. Contrary to campfire myths and nationalist narratives, however, the relationship was not a one-way flow of information and motivation from the US to Canada. Indeed, the latter boasted a park bureaucracy before the NPS was established. The relationship of the two nations’ park leaders in the half century leading up to 1968 demonstrates the complexity of defining the influences on park management and its diffusion from one country to another.

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Does a National Park Enhance the Environment-Friendliness of Tourists as an Ecotourism Destination?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18168321 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (16) ◽

pp. 8321

Author(s):

Eunseong Jeong ◽

Taesoo Lee ◽

Alan Dixon Brown ◽

Sara Choi ◽

Minyoung Son

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Behavioral Intention ◽

National Park ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Environmental Concern ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Environment Friendly ◽

Sustainable Environment ◽

The Relationship

Governments have designated national parks to protect the natural environment against ecosystem destruction and improve individuals’ emotional and recreational life. National parks enhance environment-friendly awareness by conducting ecotourism activities and individuals with environment-friendly awareness are inclined to continue to visit national parks as ecotourism destinations. The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) is a widely used measure of environmental concern, suitable for measuring the environment-friendly attitude and revisit intention of visitors of national parks. Therefore, the study carried out structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationship between the NEP, national park conservation consciousness and environment-friendly behavioral intention. Based on the results, an implication is presented to induce national parks to cultivate individual environment-friendly awareness and for visitors to pursue sustainable, environment-friendly tourism behavior. The findings indicate that national parks are to expand educational programs and facilities for eco-tourists visiting national parks to maintain a balanced relationship between themselves and nature and have a strong environmental awareness to preserve the natural environment.

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Protected area management in a post-natural world: negotiated governance at the Danish Wadden Sea

Maritime Studies ◽

10.1007/s40152-021-00225-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cormac Walsh

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Wadden Sea ◽

Historical Context ◽

Natural World ◽

Protected Area Management ◽

Institutional Structures ◽

Large Protected Areas ◽

The Relationship

AbstractNational parks and other large protected areas play an increasingly important role in the context of global social and environmental challenges. Nevertheless, they continue to be rooted in local places and cannot be separated out from their socio-cultural and historical context. Protected areas furthermore are increasingly understood to constitute critical sites of struggle whereby the very meanings of nature, landscape, and nature-society relations are up for debate. This paper examines governance arrangements and discursive practices pertaining to the management of the Danish Wadden Sea National Park and reflects on the relationship between pluralist institutional structures and pluralist, relational understandings of nature and landscape.

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Partnerships and Stakeholder Participation in the Management of National Parks: Experiences of the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe

Land ◽

10.3390/land9110399 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 399

Author(s):

Walter Musakwa ◽

Trynos Gumbo ◽

Gaynor Paradza ◽

Ephraim Mpofu ◽

Nesisa Analisa Nyathi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Stakeholder Management ◽

Stakeholder Participation ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Community Relations ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Parks Management ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

National parks play an important role in maintaining natural ecosystems which are important sources of income and livelihood sustenance. Most national parks in Southern Africa are managed by their states. Before 2007, Gonarezhou National Park was managed by the Zimbabwe Parks Management and Wildlife Authority, which faced challenges in maintaining its biodiversity, community relations and infrastructure. However, in 2017 the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Zimbabwe Parks Management and Wildlife Authority formed an innovative partnership under the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GCT). This study examines the relationship between GCT management, Gonarezhou National Park stakeholders and communities as well as the impact of the relationship on biodiversity and ecosystems. The study also highlights challenges faced and lessons learned in managing Gonarezhou as a protected area. To obtain the information, key informant interviews, Landsat satellite imagery, secondary data from previous studies and government sources were utilized. The results indicate that the concerted efforts of the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust to manage the park are starting to bear fruit in improving biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management and engaging communities. However, challenges such as governance obstacles, problematic stakeholder management, maintaining trust in community relations, ensuring sustainability, managing the adverse impacts of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts must still be navigated to ensure the park’s sustainable management. Notwithstanding challenges, we argue that a partnership arrangement such as the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust is a desirable model that can be applied in national parks in Zimbabwe and Africa for better biodiversity management and tourism.

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Status and impacts of invasive alien plant species in Parsa National Park, central Nepal

Banko Janakari ◽

10.3126/banko.v30i1.29179 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 21-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. Chaudhary ◽

B. B. Shrestha ◽

H. Thapa ◽

M. Siwakoti

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Plant Species ◽

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Tree Regeneration ◽

Alien Plant Species ◽

Alien Plant ◽

Invasive Alien Plant

Extent of plant invasions has been expected to be low in protected areas such as national parks due to low anthropogenic activities and high wilderness. However, recent researches across the world have revealed that plant invasions can be severe in the national parks with negative impacts on the protected species and ecosystems. Unfortunately, the status of plant invasions in the national parks of Nepal is mostly unknown. In this study, we sampled at seven locations inside the Parsa National Park (PNP) to document diversity and abundance of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) and their impacts on tree regeneration. Altogether, 130 quadrats of 10 m × 10 m were sampled. We recorded 14 IAPS in the PNP. Three of the IAPS (Chromolana odorata, Lantana camara and Mikania micrantha) were among the 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species. C. odorata was found to be the most frequent IAPS with the highest cover. The frequency and cover of the IAPS were higher at the sites close to the settlements than at the sites away from the settlements. The species richness of the IAPS was also higher at the sites closer to the settlements than away. The sapling density of the tree species was found to have declined with the increasing cover of the IAPS suggesting that the IAPS had negatively affected tree regeneration. Our data revealed that the PNP has already witnessed massive plant invasions with widespread occurrence of three of the world’s worst invasive species. Therefore, it is high time to integrate management of invasive alien species in the management plan of the park.

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A Study of the Mechanism of Community Participation in Resilient Governance of National Parks: With Wuyishan National Park as a Case

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810090 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10090

Author(s):

Shuiguang Chen ◽

Xiaoxia Sun ◽

Shipeng Su

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Community Participation ◽

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Case Analysis ◽

Social Mobilization ◽

Research Outcomes ◽

Effective Community ◽

Institutional Guarantee ◽

The Relationship

A community can serve as a force that pushes national parks to realize sustainable development, while community participation is critical to the relationship between national park protection and community development. Therefore, the present study explored the community’s participation in the construction of Wuyishan National Park (hereinafter referred to as the Park) by means of case analysis and qualitative research. The research outcomes showed that the community’s participation was led by the authorities, which is a typical example of “passive participation”. In addition, the governing body of the Park and its communities did not form a sound organization that enabled them to manage and protect the Park in concerted efforts. In other words, they did not work well together, and had not yet established an effective community participation mechanism. Moreover, there were three major problems about the community’s participation in the Park’s governance: The community lacked the ability to take part in it, its participation took limited forms, and it displayed little initiative in the participation. To solve these problems, the present research proposes four mechanisms to improve community participation regarding technological, structural, social, and institutional resilience, i.e., intelligent guidance mechanism, nested organization mechanism, social mobilization mechanism, and institutional guarantee mechanism, respectively.

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Changes of the mixed mountain virgin forest after 70 years on a permanent plot in the Ukrainian Carpathians 567

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/41/2009-jfs ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 55 (No. 12) ◽

pp. 567-577 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. Veska ◽

J. Šebesta ◽

T. Kolář

Keyword(s):

Abies Alba ◽

European Beech ◽

Silver Fir ◽

Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽

Timber Volume ◽

Tree Species Composition ◽

Virgin Forest ◽

Tree Layer ◽

Sycamore Maple ◽

Associated Species

During 2004–2006, another permanent research plot (No. 12) on Pop Ivan Marmarosh Mt. in the Zakarpattya province of Ukraine was renewed, i.e. re-measured and re-analyzed. The plot was originally established in the 30’s of the 20th century. The tree layer is dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), with Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) as often associated species, and with sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) growing occasionally in small groups. After 70 years, the tree species composition partly changed. Total live timber volume increased from 529.6 to 636.3 m3/ha. Considerable growth was recorded in beech, while the live timber volume of fir, spruce and sycamore maple did not almost change. Total number of trees (> 3 cm in dbh) increased from 737 trees/ha to 760 trees/ha. Number of beech trees increased markedly. On the contrary, fir and spruce showed a significant decrease in tree number. Interesting results emerged from the renewal of the permanent square plot (20 × 20 m), proving that beech is able to persist in the shade for more than 70 years with only minimal increment of both height and diameter.

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Visualising natural attractions within national parks: Preferences of tourists for photographs with different visual characteristics

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0252661 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0252661

Author(s):

Lei Zhu ◽

Lloyd S. Davis ◽

Anna Carr

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Visual Quality ◽

Q Method ◽

Visual Appeal ◽

The Subject ◽

Visual Characteristics ◽

The Relationship ◽

Perceived Attractiveness

To explore what types of photographs are more helpful means to interpret natural attractions within national parks, this study focused on the relationship between the photographs with different visual characteristics and their perceived visual appeal. A photograph-based Q method was adopted. Results confirmed the visual quality of a photograph was the most important characteristic that determined its perceived attractiveness; those photographs with a high visual quality could successfully attract tourists’ attention. The subject also significantly affected the preferences of observers, suggesting an interest-dependent pattern. Using photographs of birds as examples, the participants who were interested in birds were attracted by the photographs of birds rather than those of other subjects. This study provides a better understanding of the effectiveness of photographs for communication. Findings may help researchers, communicators and national park marketers better understand and select appropriate photographs for interpretation within national parks.

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Long-term transformation of submontane spruce-beech forests in the Jizerské hory Mts.: dynamics of natural regeneration

Central European Forestry Journal ◽

10.1515/forj-2017-0023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 213-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jiří Slanař ◽

Zdeněk Vacek ◽

Stanislav Vacek ◽

Daniel Bulušek ◽

Jan Cukor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Tree Species ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Abies Alba ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Silver Fir ◽

Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽

Beech Forests ◽

Forest Transformation ◽

Tree Layer

AbstractThe paper deals with development of the natural regeneration of even-aged spruce-beech forests during their transformation to uneven-aged stands with diversified structure at the Jedlový důl area in the Protected Landscape Area Jizerské hory Mts., Czech Republic. Shelterwood management system and free felling policy based on selection principles has been applied there since 1979 with the support of admixed tree species of the natural species composition, especially silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). The research was focuses on structure and development of natural regeneration with the emphasis on ungulate damage and interaction with tree layer from 1979 to 2015. In the course of 36 years, the regeneration structure was diversified towards the close-to-nature tree species composition, spatial and age structure. The number of regeneration recruits increased in average from 941 to 41,669 ind ha-1. During this period share of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) significantly (p < 0.01) increased (by 53.6%), while the share of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) decreased (by 51.5%), such as damage caused by ungulate (by 61.4%) with the highest loses on sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) and silver fir. Moreover, the parent trees had a significant negative influence on natural regeneration at smaller spacing (within a 1 - 5 m radius from the stem). Both, regeneration potential and effective role of the tree layer during the forest transformation has been confirmed as important prerequisites for ongoing forest transformation.

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Comparison between Demand and Supply of Some Ecosystem Services in National Parks: A Spatial Analysis Conducted Using Italian Case Studies

Conservation ◽

10.3390/conservation1010004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 36-57

Author(s):

Davide Marino ◽

Margherita Palmieri ◽

Angelo Marucci ◽

Massimo Tufano

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Local Community ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Forage Production ◽

Local Climate ◽

Italian Case ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Relationship

In recent decades, modeling approaches of ecosystem services (ES) have been used extensively at the international level, providing useful tools during the decision-making process by integrating both physical and economic information, thus improving its management. The relationship between supply and demand may impact social welfare: for example, a deficit in ES could negatively influence demand (either potential or effective). For this reason, the relational study between supply and demand is necessary for the sustainable management of natural resources; particularly since the demand for some ES must be fulfilled not only on a local scale but also globally (as in the case of regulatory ES). This paper proposes an ES analysis framework that links the flow of services (supply) generated by the interaction between natural, human and social capital with consumption (demand) connected to potential beneficiaries. Specifically, we analyze three ES: Forage production, regulation of local climate (PM10), and carbon sequestration in three national parks (Aspromonte National Park, Circeo National Park, and Appennino Tosco Emiliano National Park). The use of synthetic (biophysical) indicators, on a spatial basis, made it possible to quantify the supply and demand of specific catchments with the aim of accounting for the surplus/deficit through the calculation of the ES supply and demand ratio (ESDR). In fact, sustainable land management requires a balance between supply and demand in relation to the different needs of the stakeholders and local community. The relationship between supply and demand of ES can help identify resource use trade-offs, thus rendering the achievement of management and protection objectives more efficient. Lastly, through the use of monetary coefficients, it was possible to calculate the benefits of increasing the awareness of public decision-makers of ES’s value and the importance of implementing integrated strategies for environmental protection and enhancement.

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