Park User Perceptions of Resource and Use Impacts Under Varied Situations in Three National Parks

On-site user perceptions of resource and use impacts were investigated at three national parks in the southeastern United States. The major purpose of the research was to investigate the symbolic meaning that different groups of park visitors assign to specific impact situations, involving the perception of five categories of impacts: litter, erosion, dead trees and animals, crowding and congestion, and commercial encroachment. Respondents were asked to rate the degree of acceptance/unacceptance for the five types of impacts that exist in various settings and conditions. An on-site intercept interview and mail questionnaire resulted in 971 cases for analysis. Results indicated that park user perceptions and tolerance for impacts vary widely, and that within changing situations there are degrees of acceptability and unacceptability. Finally, there are margins of relative differences between clustered groups of respondents and how they respond to impact situations.