| Title: |
Public Access Dimensions of Landscape Changes in Parks and Reserves: Case Studies of Erosion Impacts and Responses in a Changing Climate |
| Authors: |
Shane Orchard; Aubrey Miller; Pascal Sirguey |
| Source: |
GeoHazards ; Volume 7 ; Issue 1 ; Pages: 12 |
| Publisher Information: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
| Subject Terms: |
protected areas management; natural hazards; landscape evolution; impact assessment; man-made disasters; shifting baselines; adaptive management; geospatial analysis; disaster recovery; climate change adaptation; loss and damage |
| Subject Geographic: |
agris |
| Description: |
This study investigates flooding and erosion impacts and human responses in Aoraki Mount Cook and Westland Tai Poutini national parks in Aotearoa New Zealand. These fast-eroding landscapes provide important test cases and insights for considering the public access dimensions of climate change. Our objectives were to explore and characterise the often-overlooked role of public access as a ubiquitous concern for protected areas and other area-based conservation approaches that facilitate connections between people and nature alongside their protective functions. We employed a mixed-methods approach including volunteered geographic information (VGI) from a park user survey (n = 273) and detailed case studies of change on two iconic mountaineering routes based on geospatial analyses of digital elevation models spanning 1986–2022. VGI data identified 36 adversely affected locations while 21% of respondents also identified beneficial aspects of recent landscape changes. Geophysical changes could be perceived differently by different stakeholders, illustrating the potential for competing demands on management responses. Impacts of rainfall-triggered erosion events were explored in case studies of damaged access infrastructure (e.g., roads, tracks, bridges). Adaptive responses resulted from formal or informal (park user-led) actions including re-routing, rebuilding, or abandonment of pre-existing infrastructure. Three widely transferable dimensions of public access management are identified: providing access that supports the core functions of protected areas; evaluating the impacts of both physical changes and human responses to them; and managing tensions between stakeholder preferences. Improved attention to the role of access is essential for effective climate change adaptation in parks and reserves. |
| Document Type: |
text |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geohazards7010012 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/geohazards7010012 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geohazards7010012 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.A2B16EC7 |
| Database: |
BASE |