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Abstract |
How many visitors do you have? is a basic and frequently asked question to protected area managers. However, answering such a question is challenging in the case of recreational and protected areas that are characterized by free access and multiple entry points. Due to constraints in financial and personnel resources data collection cannot be anytime (time) and anywhere (space). Thus, the selection of suitable data collection methods and their proper combination arises (Muhar, Arnberger and Brandenburg, 2002, p.1). Within this study, we answer the question for the Black Forest National Park by using counting devices and manual counting events. In addition to estimating the total number of visits, we estimate the relative importance of different use types such as hiking, biking and winter sports. As we are interested in monitoring changes over time, we put a special emphasis on developing a reproducible methodology that can be applied in upcoming years. |
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