Light pollution is the human-caused alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally. It threatens ecological and commemorative integrity, interferes with amateur and research astronomy, degrades the appreciation of mythologies and cultural practices related to the night sky, mars wilderness experience and landscape beauty, carries risks to human health and wastes energy. Counterintuitively, excess outdoor lighting reduces safety and security.
This book brings together the manifold works and projects accomplished in the first round of Klagenfurt University's postgraduate study programme "Management of Protected Areas" that started in September 2005 and ended in July 2007. It presents the outcomes of the students' works in terms of their master theses. It starts with chapters dealing with biodiversity conservation and visitor management, followed by papers on legal frameworks and management effectiveness.
Parks and People describes fifteen years of research at Maine's Acadia National Park, conducted by Robert E. Manning, his colleagues, and students. The book is organized into three parts. Part I addresses indicators and standards of quality for park resources and the visitor experience. Part II describes efforts to monitor indicator variables. Part III outlines and assesses management actions designed to maintain standards of quality.
Areas of high ecological value, i.e. parks and protected areas as well as urban parks, experience ever increasing pressures from recreation and tourism. In addition, new technologies make remote areas increasingly accessible. This leads to extensive ecological impacts, and to increasing conflicts between user groups. In order to manage protected areas within acceptable ecological and social carrying capacities, one needs to monitor visitor activities and behaviour, and deepen the understanding of expectations and motivations.
