International Centre for Ecotourism Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222, Australia.
J Environ Manage. 2009 Nov-Dec;91(2):532-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.09.022. Epub 2009 Oct 24.
The Australian Alps, which are of high conservation value, are popular summer bushwalking destinations. Experimental trampling trials using a standardized methodology were conducted to determine the resistance and resilience of the two common vegetation types: tall alpine herbfield and subalpine grasslands. Vegetation parameters were measured in lanes subject to control (no trampling), 30, 100, 200, 500 and 700 passes at five sites prior to trampling, immediately post trampling, 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 1 year post trampling. Vegetation height, cover of graminoids and herbs, as well as net species richness all declined with trampling, while litter cover increased. Thresholds for damage varied between the two communities and among the different vegetation parameters. The resistance indices for the two communities (number of passes resulting in 50% reduction in vegetation cover), however, were similar at around 440-450 passes indicating that these two communities are among the most resistant of the 19 alpine-subalpine communities that have been tested around the world, but only of moderate resistance compared to non-alpine communities. The two communities showed limited recovery with damage still evident 1 year post trampling. This indicates that they have only moderate tolerance to damage due to moderate resistance, but low resilience.
澳大利亚阿尔卑斯山具有很高的保护价值，是夏季徒步旅行的热门目的地。本研究采用标准化方法进行了模拟践踏实验，以确定两种常见植被类型（高山草本植物区和亚高山草原）的抵抗力和恢复力。在践踏前、践踏后即刻、践踏后 2 周、6 周和 1 年，在五个地点的控制（无践踏）、30、100、200、500 和 700 次踏过的车道上测量植被参数。随着践踏的进行，植被高度、禾本科植物和草本植物的盖度以及净物种丰富度均下降，而凋落物盖度增加。两个群落之间以及不同植被参数之间的损伤阈值不同。然而，两个群落的抗性指数（导致植被盖度减少 50%的踩踏次数）相似，约为 440-450 次踩踏，这表明这两个群落是世界上已测试的 19 个高山-亚高山群落中最具抵抗力的群落之一，但与非高山群落相比，其抗性仅为中等水平。两个群落的受损情况在践踏后 1 年仍很明显，恢复能力有限。这表明它们对中度抗性导致的损伤只有中等容忍度，但恢复力低。
