Box 25C Loving them to death: tourism and recreation in protected areas in Europe

New developments: nature and national parks are already under extreme pressure from the number of visitors, demand for outdoor activities and development of tourism facilities (eg, large hotels on the Mazurian Lakes, Poland).

Overcrowding occurs at peak periods (eg, in Hohe Tauern, Austria, visitors are concentrated in six months, while in Ojcow, Poland, 60 per cent are there during the three summer months). Most visitors are day trippers arriving by car (over 90 per cent to the Hohe Tauern), leading to traffic congestion, congestion of car parking space and litter problems.

Changes in habitats of native animals: wildlife attracts visitors, who disturb breeding patterns, leading to a fall in animal numbers; as species become rarer, more people come to 'see it while you still can'.

Path erosion and wear and tear arise from walking or mountain biking. Popular routes such as the Pennine Way in the UK require extensive maintenance and repair (see Chapter 7).

Introduction of exotic species: in Tenerife (Canary Islands) more than a dozen species have invaded the Teide National Park, having been carried as seeds on vehicles, clothes or tents of visitors.

Conflicts exist between tourism and nature conservation, traditional hunting and agriculture. For example, the Coto Donaña National Park in southwest Spain is an important breeding site for many of Europe's birds, and home to endangered species such as the imperial eagle, Aquila heliaca, and Spanish lynx, Lynx pardina, but is now threatened by water extraction for tourism and local agriculture (WWF-UK, personal communication, 1993). In Triglav National Park, Slovenia, 2 million tourists outnumber residents during the summer by almost 1000 to 1 (see Table 25.2).

Source: FNPPE, 1993, and ERM