RECREATION MANAGEMENT IN NATURAL AREAS - PROBLEMS AND PRACTICES, STATUS AND TRENDS

Managers of natural areas encounter a wide variety of problems associa ted with recreational use. An even larger array of management practice s can be applied to deal with these problems. This study examined the current status of recreation-related problems and management practices in backcountry areas of the U.S. national park system. Study findings include systematic inventories of recreation-related problems and man agement practices in natural areas, the prevalence of these problems a nd practices in the national park system, and the perceived effectiven ess of selected management practices, Comparison of study findings wit h earlier studies suggests several trends in recreation-related proble ms and management practices in natural areas.