Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Sognsveien 68, NO-0855, Oslo, Norway.
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685, Torgarden, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway.
J Environ Manage. 2021 Jan 15;278(Pt 2):111554. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111554. Epub 2020 Oct 28.
Recreational use of nature areas is increasing worldwide. All trail-based activities have a certain degradation effect on vegetation and soil, and conflicts between conservation values and recreation may occur. Controversy still exists regarding the relative impact of mountain bikers compared to hikers on trails. In this study, we manipulated the use intensity from hikers and mountain bikers on existing, natural-surfaced trails, and investigated effects of increased use and the relative importance of mountain biking on trail degradation. In two study sites, two trails were selected, one designated for hiking and one for biking. Passes were counted with TRAFx counters. The proportion of mountain bikers on the designated biking trails was on average 47%, and on the hiking trails 13%. Trail width and depth were recorded at permanently marked transects repeatedly throughout the growing season, and analyzed with linear mixed models as a function of number of passes, proportion of bikers and environmental conditions along the trail. Trail width, both the core trail without vegetation and the total area influenced by trampling and biking, showed on average small, but highly variable increases with enhanced use. Trail widening occurred particularly in moist parts, and trail width increased more when a larger proportion of the passes was mountain bikers. Trail depth did not change much throughout the study period, suggesting that the soils along the trails were already compacted and to a limited degree prone to soil movement and subsequent soil loss. Our study shows that on-trail use by hikers and mountain bikers have relatively limited overall effects in terms of trail widening and deepening, but that effects depend highly on environmental conditions; enhanced use of trails in wet areas is likely to result in greater trail degradation, and more so if a large proportion of the users are mountain bikers. Management and maintenance of trails, in terms of re-routing or trail surface hardening, could thus be necessary to avoid negative impacts of increased use. For such management actions to be successful, they need to be targeted towards the actual user groups and the natural conditions in the area.
全球范围内，人们越来越多地进行休闲性的自然区域使用活动。所有基于步道的活动都会对植被和土壤产生一定的退化影响，并且可能会出现保护价值与休闲活动之间的冲突。与徒步旅行者相比，山地自行车对步道的相对影响仍然存在争议。在这项研究中，我们在现有的自然表面步道上人为地增加了徒步旅行者和山地自行车使用者的使用强度，并调查了使用强度增加的影响以及山地自行车骑行相对重要性对步道退化的影响。在两个研究地点，选择了两条步道，一条指定用于徒步旅行，另一条用于山地自行车骑行。使用 TRAFx 计数器来计数通过的人数。指定的自行车道上的山地自行车使用者比例平均为 47%，而徒步旅行者的比例为 13%。在整个生长季节，我们在永久性标记的横截线上反复记录步道的宽度和深度，并使用线性混合模型分析步道的通过人数、骑行者比例和步道沿线的环境条件的函数关系。步道的宽度，包括没有植被的核心步道和受踩踏和骑行影响的总面积，平均有很小但高度可变的增加，与使用强度增强有关。在潮湿的地方，步道变宽的情况尤其明显，而且当通过的人中山地自行车使用者的比例较大时，步道的宽度增加得更多。整个研究期间，步道的深度变化不大，这表明步道沿线的土壤已经压实，在一定程度上容易发生土壤移动和随后的土壤流失。我们的研究表明，徒步旅行者和山地自行车使用者在步道变宽和变深方面的总体影响相对有限，但影响高度依赖于环境条件；在潮湿地区增加使用可能会导致更大的步道退化，如果使用者中有很大比例是山地自行车使用者，情况就更是如此。因此，为了避免使用强度增加带来的负面影响，可能需要对步道进行管理和维护，例如改道或增加步道表面硬度。为了使这种管理措施取得成功，需要针对实际的使用者群体和该地区的自然条件。
