Research eco.mont - Volume 5, Number 1, June 2013 ISSN 2073-106X print version 27 ISSN 2073-1558 online version: http://epub.oeaw.ac.at/eco.mont Crowding in Germany’s national parks: the case of the low mountain range Saxon Switzerland National Park Johannes Schamel & Hubert Job Keywords: visitor management, social carrying capacity, crowding, displacement, national park Abstract Profile Every year 1.7 million people visit the Saxon Switzerland National Park, resulting in a Protected area very high visitor density, especially in the western parts of the national park. This pa- per presents the results of a survey conducted in 2011 (n = 312), which investigated Saxon Switzerland National Park the perception of crowding, influencing factors and displacement effects. Overall, nearly one third of the visitors (31.3%) felt crowded, with a maximum of 74.4% at the Bastei rock, a popular spot within the park. Using a logistic regression, the number Mountain range of perceived encounters, plus motives and expectations were found to be the key factors to influence the perception of crowding. Nearly half of the visitors (48.7%) Elbe Sandstone mountains already act or plan to act on crowding, choosing temporal and spatial displacement strategies in equal measure. Country Germany Introduction Visitor management and social carrying capacity in Saxon Switzerland National Park (NP) In the rocky cliffs and narrow canyons of the low mountain range of Saxon Switzerland, rock climbing in its modern form had first emerged in the second half of the 19th century. Shortly after, when the eco- logical consequences of this new activity became obvi- ous, the first summits were closed for climbing. This early form of visitor management gradually developed into a visitor management plan of the NP, which was founded in 1990 and consists of two separate areas (Figure 2). The management plan defines a core zone, in which stricter regulations, for example, the obliga- tion to stick to marked trails, are in force (Staatsbetrieb Sachsenforst). These regulations are formulated with Figure 1 – Saxon Switzerland NP. © Holm Riebe a primary focus on the ecological impact of outdoor recreation, but not on social impacts like crowding. to Saxon Switzerland NP visit the Bastei (Job et al. This is a common situation in European NP man- 2010). This means that the high average visitor density agement and research, even though new topics like of about 183 visitors per hectare (Mayer et al. 2010) human wellbeing have gained in significance in recent for the whole NP is substantially driven by the visitor years (Hammer et al. 2012). In Germany, for example, numbers in this spot. Given these numbers and results few studies are addressing social carrying capacity and of Schreiner (2009), who found slight to medium lev- crowding (Grossmann et al. 2004; Kalisch & Klaphake els of crowding in the eastern part of the NP, social 2007; Kalisch 2012; Volz & Mann 2007). Only one of conflicts seem very likely in the western part of the them was conducted in a low mountain range and NP and especially at the Bastei rock. none of them included a nation-wide known visitor attraction and visitor hotspot, where displacement ef- State of the art fects are likely to occur. In the national park system of Crowding, which can be defined as a“ negative evalua- Germany, few attractions are so popular: the Brocken tion of the number of people the individual remembers seeing” summit in Harz NP, lake Königssee in Berchtesgaden (Vaske & Donellly 2002), has a long research tradition NP and the Königsstuhl cliffs in Jasmund NP. The in North America. Numerous factors have been found fourth attraction that can be classified as a nation- to influence crowding perception (Trachsel & Back- wide known attraction is the Bastei rock investigated haus 2011; Sterl et al. 2004; Noe et al. 1997; Vaske in this study. More than half of the 1.7 million annual & Donnelly 2002; Webb & Worchel 1993; Absher & visitors (of which 900 000 stay overnight) who come Lee 1981; Kalisch 2012; Andereck & Becker 1993). Research 28 Figure 2 – Map of the western part of Saxon Switzerland NP These factors can be grouped into three main catego- tionalization. Both strategies weaken the relationship ries (Figure 3): visitor characteristics, characteristics of between usage levels and satisfaction (Kuentzel & He- those encountered and situational variables. Visitor berlein 1992; Shelby & Heberlein 1986; Manning & characteristics primarily include the motivation for the Valliere 2001). visit, expectations of use levels, preferences for con- Displacement, the second major coping strategy for tacts and the level of visitors’ familiarity with the area. crowding, can take different forms: spatial, temporal Visitors seeking solitude (Ditton et al. 1983), expecting and usage displacement. Visitors can displace spa- and preferring few encounters (Shelby 1980; Kernen tially, either by visiting a less frequented area of the et al. 2010) and experienced visitors (Arnberger & park (intra-area displacement) or by visiting another Brandenburg 2007) were found to be more sensitive recreational area (inter-area displacement). Tempo- to crowding. The characteristics of those encountered, ral displacement can occur as a daytime, weekday or like their group size or their behaviour (Manning 2011; seasonal shift of usage. Usage displacement takes the Arnberger & Haider 2005) were also found to be im- form of changing the activity but staying in the same portant. Carothers et al. (2001) noted that hikers are area (Shelby & Vaske 1991; Arnberger & Brandenburg much more disturbed by mountain bikers than the 2007). other way round. Finally, situational variables like the Although the choice of a specific form of displace- area type, from wilderness conditions to highly devel- ment depends on the attachment to the place, other oped infrastructure in a NP, or the time and season of factors, such as availability of alternate sites and logistic the visit can also influence the perception of crowding. constraints were also found to be important (Kuentzel Some, but not all, visitors chose a coping strategy & Heberlein 1992; Hall & Shelby 2000; Arnberger & as a reaction to crowding. Especially when crowding Brandenburg 2007). Visitors who are very attached to perception is low, some visitors do not react. Those a specific area are more likely to prefer temporal ad- reacting to crowding adopt one of two major coping justments than displacing spatially, whereas inter-area strategies: cognitive mechanisms and displacement. displacement is often applied if many alternative re- Cognitive mechanisms include product shift and ra- creation areas exist (Arnberger & Brandenburg 2007). Johannes Schamel & Hubert Job 29 3. Recreation use patterns 6. Crowding norms 10. Coping behaviours 8. Other satisfaction variables - topography - personal characteristics - displacement - facility development - geography - characteristics of others - rationalization - weather - trip characteristics - situational variables - product shift - etc. 2. Contacts / encounters 1. Usage level 5. Perceived crowding 7. Satisfaction between groups 4. Measurement technique 9. Measurement technique - actual - hypothetical - reported - actual - diary - survey - behavioural - global - specific Figure 3 – Expanded crowding model (Source: modified after Manning 2011, p. 110) Although crowding was found to be a major reason Crowding measurement for displacement, other social factors also come into A standardized questionnaire was used and the ques- play (Arnberger & Haider 2007). tions can be grouped in three categories. First, person- al characteristics of the visitor, e. g. socio-demographic Study objectives data, motives for visiting the NP, mode of travel and Given the very limited literature on the compara- familiarity with the NP area. Second, encounters: visi- tively young national parks in Germany (Job 2010), the tors were asked to state the number of encounters, the aim of this paper is to provide insights into the differ- number of expected encounters and the behaviour of ent aspects of crowding, with a special focus on the the encountered persons. The first two questions were Bastei, a nation-wide known visitor attraction. There- supported by digitally calibrated images. Especially in fore, crowding perception and its intra-area differ- high density settings, this visual support has proved to ences should be investigated. A second objective is to enhance the validity of responses compared to strictly analyse the factors which influence the crowding per- numerically approaches as it reduces the abstraction ception in a high-use, low-mountain range. This is es- effort needed to express a visual experience as a nu- sential for proposing adequate management measures, merical value (Manning & Freimund 2004; Hall & which effectively address crowding. Finally coping Roggenbruck 2002). Six digitally manipulated images mechanisms in response to crowding are investigated. (Figure 4) were handed out to the visitors, each show- ing the same trail. The characteristics of the trail and Methods the depicted natural setting (rock formations, conifer- ous forest) were typical for most trails in the western Data sampling part of Saxon Switzerland NP. People were placed in Data were collected on five days from Wednesday twos, equally distributed across fore- and background. to Sunday at the end of April and the beginning of The last category of the questions examined crowd- May 2011, from 9 am to 5 pm every day. The study