The identification of elements of special environmental interest present in protected areas is indispensable in order to fully valorize the resources of such areas. This is even more important in protected areas that have only recently been established, such as the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park (Lombardy, Italy). This article reports the results of the analysis of the flora of the Mount Cavallo path, a little-known and little-used area of the Orobie Bergamasche Park. The floristic census conducted, which led to the identification of 241 species, showed that the study area has a high number of endemic (some of which are steno-endemic) and / or rare plants, including Linaria tonzigii Lona, which is also a species of community interest. Given the wealth and significance of the floral heritage of the study area, as well as its unique geological and environmental characteristics, a proposal is presented for its valorization, involving the construction of a nature trail: the Mount Cavallo Botanical Path. This study, which presents the distribution maps of the various endemic species along the path and the results of the chorological and ecological analyses of the local flora, provides the scientific background knowledge for the development of a project for the promotion and enhancement of one of the most interesting and beautiful areas of the Orobie Bergamasche Park.

Keywords: Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park, Orobic Alps, nature trail project, endemic species richness, ecological indices, nature tourism, Brembana Valley

The paper presents the results of long-term observations made on selected populations of two high-mountain Euphrasia species. The monitoring was conducted during 2002–2016 in ranges of the Polish parts of the Carpathians and Sudetes. Field studies revealed periodical occurrence and disappearance of populations in the localities for one or more seasons, which may be connected with the life cycle of annual plants. The phenomena of periodicity occurrence and seed dormancy and their consequences are discussed.

Keywords: Euphrasia, periodicity, protected areas, botanical research

One of the main threats to native European crayfish species is presented by the spread of invasive ones, which are vectors of the crayfish plague Aphanomyces astaci. In particular, the Austropotamobius pallipes complex is suffering extensive decline in its whole distribution range. In this paper, we describe a case of extinction of a native population of the A. pallipes complex driven by the direct human introduction of the alien species Orconectes limosus, in a mountain protected area in northern Italy. The local extinction event of the native crayfish population is reported, and the factors that drove it are reconstructed. Our results help to better understand the threats to native crayfish species occurring even in protected areas, as well as to establish proper prevention and management actions.

Keywords: natural barrier, alien species introduction, crayfish plague, spiny-cheek crayfish, local extinction, white-clawed crayfish

The availability of spatial data is a key concern in protected area management, including visitor management. Obtaining spatial data is often laborious and expensive. New approaches involving the general public in data collection can provide a solution. Among existing crowdsourcing initiatives, OpenStreetMap (OSM) is the largest. But, while public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS), volunteered geographic information (VGI), and user-generated content (UGC) are used in visitor management, OSM still receives less attention. In this paper, questions regarding the possibilities of using OSM data in visitor management are discussed. The focus is on recreational infrastructure data, since infrastructure is an important means for guiding and managing visitors. The Berchtesgaden National Park (Germany) served as the study area. A list of the relevant elements of the recreational infrastructure in the protected area was elaborated, and an analysis was carried out to determine how useful the OSM tagging system is for describing these elements. In addition, data held in the OSM database was assessed first with regard to which infrastructure elements the OSM database holds data for, and second for the amount of data held. Along with the benefits, there are also challenges in using OSM. Thus, there is a need to expand the OSM tagging system to allow the description of different types of nature-based recreational infrastructure and to increase people’s involvement in OSM.

Keywords: collaborative mapping, crowdsourcing, community-based data, participatory approaches, visitor management

Geocaching started in the year 2000 as a leisure activity in which the recreationists try to find containers (so-called geocaches) based on coordinates. Since geocaches are often hidden off-trail in natural surroundings, protected areas might be affected. This paper analyses the situation in Austrian national parks and discusses possible effects on conservation goals. The study is based on online- and GIS-based analyses. To assess environmental impact and disturbance, the following indicators were used: types of hiding places, surrounding area, frequency of finds, and distances between the hiding places and the nearest trails. The results show that geocaching takes place in all six Austrian national parks, but to different extents; that caches are most commonly hidden in natural environments; that the frequency of finds differs significantly between the various parks, and that parks closer to urban areas tend to be used more for geocaching.

Keywords: geocaching, national parks, disturbance, impact

The Salza River is located in the Alpine Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen and is used heavily for whitewater recreation. One of the main goals of protected area management is to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation to maintain or enhance the quality of visitor experience. This study explored whitewater recreationists’ crowding perceptions and preferences for river trip scenarios on the Salza River, Austria, using a discrete choice experiment. Six attributes described social, resource and managerial river conditions. More than 70% of the paddlers reported crowding. Results of the discrete choice experiment suggest that use levels are by far the most important attribute, followed by the river difficulty and the river access fee. Boaters preferred low numbers of people on the river, no waiting times for car parking or boat launching, moderate river difficulty, shorter trip lengths and a low river access fee. The findings could be of use to the Nature Park in helping to better understand the preferences of one of its main target groups.

Keywords: whitewater recreation, crowding, preferences, discrete choice experiment

This paper explores the format of a cartoon strip to examine individual roles and social identity of participants involved in the management of protected land. Its collaborative production involved an advisor reporting interaction experiences and an artist’s visualisations made in response. This dialogue iteratively generated a picture story about both the preparation and implementation of a Site Management Plan for a protected area and the different dialogues between individuals and their impressions of each other. The storyline is fictionalised through visualisation to be both generalised and highly specific. It illustrates some types of communication failure by contrasting speech and thought bubbles which in turn reflect one author’s personal experience of providing (regulatory) advice over thirty years in the UK. However, the story has also borrowed elements of Alpine experience and the pictorial characterisation has been generated by the other author from a perspective as a visual artist. The authors offer this methodology as a consultation tool.

Keywords: protected area, environmental management, environmental advice, multi-disciplinary collaboration, cartoons, visualization, characterization

Winter recreational activities such as ski touring, free riding snow sports and snowshoeing have become ever more popular in the Alps in recent decades, with increases in both the number of activities and user demand. Increased human presence in Alpine natural zones causes disturbance to wildlife and its behaviour, leading to psychological stress responses and increased nutritional and energy requirements. Alpine protected areas have set up management strategies and tools in order to protect wildlife and its habitats while preserving high levels of outdoor recreation value. In the present article, we give an overview of best practices of visitor management and information campaigns in Alpine protected areas. Based on existing knowledge and experience gathered during an international workshop of the Alpine network of protected areas, we highlight five components that are crucial for the successful management of winter recreational activities and provide recommendations for management practice.

Keywords: outdoor recreation, protected areas, wildlife disturbance, visitor management, public awareness, evaluation, Winter

The EuroMAB Network includes all European and North-American member states which participate in UNESCO´s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and its World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). EuroMAB is the largest and oldest of the nine regional and inter-regional MAB Networks. It is made up of 36 countries, including Canada and the USA, and includes 302 biosphere reserves (BRs). Bringing together almost half of the total WNBR sites, the EuroMAB Network is a platform for sharing knowledge, know-how and experience of sustainable development, as well as a collective tool for supporting sustainable development practices among BR coordinators, scientists and MAB National Committees. Since the first meeting in 1986 in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, the MAB National Committees and BR coordinators of EuroMAB have met nearly every two years. EuroMAB conferences have been held in Minsk, Belarus (1997), Cambridge, UK (2000), Rome, Italy (2002), Hernstein, Austria (2005), Antalya, Turkey (2007), Stará Lesná, Slovakia (2009), Lundsbrunn, Sweden (2011), Brockeville, Canada (2013), and Haapsalu, Estonia (2015). EuroMAB meetings are dedicated to bringing together BR managers, coordinators, scientists and representatives of UNESCO´s MAB Secretariat, MAB National Committees and partner institutions / associations.

Keywords:

Biosphere reserves (BRs) as recognized model regions for sustainable development are supposed to maintain permanent access to scientific findings, innovation, new technologies and scholarly discussions. Science_Linknockberge is an institutionalized cooperation between the Carinthian part of Salzburger Lungau & Kärntner Nockberge BR on the one hand, and Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt, on the other. The authors document and reflect the experiences of five years and argue that such a cooperation is mutually beneficial for all sides: the management of the BR, the region and the university.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserve, management plan, participative research design, education for sustainable development, regional innovation