NORMS, STANDARDS, AND NATURAL-RESOURCES

The normative approach in natural resource management illustrates the progress that has been made in advancing theory and application in out door recreation research. This article integrates findings from a numb er of different studies to highlight the utility of the normative appr oach and provide an example of how efforts focused on a particular the oretical approach can enhance the quality of scientific research. Find ings from both social and ecological impact studies are examined. Topi cs include norms for encounters, ecological impacts, aesthetic impacts , and instream flows. A number of considerations for future research a re presented, including the definition of norms, norm salience, norm c onsensus, question construction, and statistics for measuring norms.