A mixed-methods approach to analyse recreational values and implications for management of protected areas: A case study of Cairngorms National Park, UK

There is often pressure on protected area managers to enhance wild landscapes and protect biodiversity while simultaneously promoting goals such as assuring ongoing provision of ecosystem services and providing for tourist and recreational needs. In the current study, we investigate two tools that may provide different types of management-relevant knowledge on recreation ecosystem services to aid management decisions in a protected area (PA), particularly where such tradeoffs must be considered. We constructed a spatial recreational model of the whole Cairngorms National Park, Scotland (ESTIMAP-Recreation), parameterised by hard and soft recreationalists (providing “where and what” types of knowledge). We then conducted 33 interviews with managers, residents, and visitors, asking if and how they considered the resulting maps useful. In parallel, we conducted focused walking interviews in two contrasting park sites, favoured by hard and soft recreationalist to determine if it was possible to gain further insight into other aspects of the recreational ecosystem services (the “why”). These walking interviews were conducted in a woodland adjacent to an urban area (30 interviews) and in a wild landscape mountain area (22 interviews). The complimentary nature of these approaches highlights the diverse sources of knowledge PA managers may exploit to assist in managing the many conflicting objectives imposed upon them.