| Abstract |
Visitor flows can be represented as a landscape-recreation-model with eight components: entrances, goals, exits, field units, attractors or detractors, road segments, road junctions and barriers. The model can develop towards a real-time application by increasing its complexity. Starting from a basic situation (a landscape with one road and one entrance), the influence of landscape attractiveness is included; secondly diversity of the terrain and visitor is taken into account, thirdly time variation is added and finally, the interaction between the eight above-mentioned components is incorporated. The basic framework is a cost-distance function, to estimate the probability of on- and off-track visit of any location in a nature reserve on deliberate times and in specific terrain conditions. This can be represented by mean of a push-pull concept: some of the components (like entrances) have a push effect, while others, like goals, exits (when determined in advance) and attractors, have a pull-effect. To support the conversion towards a real-time application, GPS surveys, interviews, camera observation, photographic monitoring of seasonal changes, photo comparisons, step-bridges, walking experiments, experiments about field unit division and landscape preference studies were executed. This model is being developed in marshland nature reserves in central Belgium. Ultimately this system should lead to an impact assessment and decision support tool. |
