THE IMPACT OF COMMERCIAL HORSE RIDING ON SUB-ALPINE ENVIRONMENTS AT CRADLE-MOUNTAIN, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA

Horse riding is one of the more controversial recreational uses of the alpine and sub-alpine environments of Tasmania. Monitoring was initia ted in an established commercial horse riding area immediately adjacen t to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area to measure the impac ts of high level horse usage on the soils and vegetation. The greatest soil loss was measured in the eucalypt forest where some 397 cm(2) of soil per 1 metre width of track was lost over a two year period. The next greatest soil loss occurred in Gleichenia moorland (236 cm(2) of soil per 1 metre width of track). In rainforest, the amount of soil lo st from the sites is less significant (35 cm(2) of soil per 1 metre wi dth of track), as the soil is churned and redistributed along the tram pled and unstable track. Once tracks deteriorated into a quagmire in m oorland, new tracks were established with several new braids occurring . The results clearly show that current levels of commercial horse rid ing cannot be sustained without track hardening. (C) 1996 Academic Pre ss Limited