The importance of spatial nested data in understanding the relationship between visitor use and landscape impacts

As managers and researchers of protected natural areas continue to seek balance in promoting visitor use but limiting negative experiential and natural resource impacts, the integration of social and physical spatial data may play a critical role in understanding how visitors and the community interface with the landscape within these protected areas. These spatial considerations are important for inventorying, monitoring, and managing the conditions of natural resources within parks. Specifically related to the visitor impacts of natural resources in parks are the use and condition of multiple-use trails. Technology such as GPS and GIS may allow for a unique assessment of the relationship between factors that influence this resource. This paper focuses on how visitor use distribution (measured through GPS tracking), activity type, and trail design influence the impacts to trail conditions. This paper also addresses statistical concerns related to spatial dependency. Results suggest that failure to account for spatial dependency can lead to erroneous Type I findings. Additionally, activity type (specifically horseback riders) and trail design were found to best predict trail impacts when controlling for spatial dependency.