The objectives of nature area management are
often twofold: To protect the natural environment and to facilitate
recreational use. In order to maintain the natural setting,
it is sometimes necessary to regulate the recreational use of
an area. In deciding on a management action, one problem
can be the lack of knowledge about the effects of management
actions on visitors. In order to enhance the knowledge
base for future management practices, this study empirically
evaluates the effects of management regulations in a Norwegian nature area. In this area camping outside commercial
campgrounds was restricted in 1992. The management
regulations seems to have influenced the use of Sjodalen for
camping in several ways. The number of campers using the
area has decreased. The user composition seems to have
changed, with new campers in the area after the regulation
being more tolerant of human influence on the natural environment
than the campers before the regulations. In addition,
a considerable proportion of the existing users ceased
to stay overnight in Sjodalen, totally or partly due to the regulations.
The behavioral response among existing users is
related both to environmental preferences and place attachment.
Implications for management and future research
studies on impact assessment in general, and displacement
specifically, are discussed