Tendencies in the development of tracks in open areas

The study aimed to compare the rate of vehicle and pedestrian track develop ment between an unprotected open area and a protected one during the last 5 0 years. The results indicate that: (1) the rate of change in the length of tracks per 1 square kilometer of a site has been four times greater in the unprotected area than in the protected area; (2) the number of area cells (the areas between the tracks) increased geometrically in the unprotected a rea, while the increase in the protected area was linear; and (3) most area cells (50%-70%) in the protected area in each of the years analyzed (excep t 1944) were smaller than 10 ha in size. However, an area cell greater than 100 ha has always been observed. In contrast, in the unprotected site the number of area cells increased with time while their area size decreased. T wenty-Seven percent of the unprotected area is composed at present of area cells smaller in size than 1 ha. The development oi a track system in the p rotected site changed moderately with a few peaks during the past 50 years. This trend is a result of land management policies that actively promote s ustainable ecotourism. However, in the unprotected open area, the track sys tem has changed continuously and drastically due to a lack of land conserva tion management.