Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Outdoor Recreation

Daniel O’Toole, Leslie A. Brandt, Maria K. Janowiak, Kristen M. Schmitt, P. Danielle Shannon, Patricia R. Leopold, Stephen D. Handler, Todd A. Ontl and Christopher W. Swanston
Additional contact information
Daniel O’Toole: USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Leslie A. Brandt: USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Maria K. Janowiak: USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Kristen M. Schmitt: Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, 410 MacInnes Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
P. Danielle Shannon: Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, 410 MacInnes Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
Patricia R. Leopold: Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, 410 MacInnes Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
Stephen D. Handler: USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Todd A. Ontl: USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Christopher W. Swanston: USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 24, 1-22

Abstract: Climate change will alter opportunities and demand for outdoor recreation through altered winter weather conditions and season length, climate-driven changes in user preferences, and damage to recreational infrastructure, among other factors. To ensure that outdoor recreation remains sustainable in the face of these challenges, natural resource managers may need to adapt their recreation management. One of the major challenges of adapting recreation to climate change is translating broad concepts into specific, tangible actions. Using a combination of in-depth interviews of recreational managers and a review of peer-reviewed literature and government reports, we developed a synthesis of impacts, strategies, and approaches, and a tiered structure that organizes this information. Six broad climate adaptation strategies and 25 more specific approaches were identified and organized into a “recreation menu”. The recreation menu was tested with two national forests in the US in multi-day workshops designed to integrate these concepts into real-world projects that were at the beginning stages of the planning process. We found that the recreation menu was broad yet specific enough to be applied to recreation-focused projects with different objectives and climate change impacts. These strategies and approaches serve as stepping stones to enable natural resource and recreation managers to translate broad concepts into targeted and prescriptive actions for implementing adaptation.

Keywords: climate change; adaptation; outdoor recreation; infrastructure; recreation management; visitation management; tourism management; facility management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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