Outdoor Recreation, Nature-Based Tourism, and Sustainability

Patricia L. Winter, Steven Selin, Lee Cerveny and Kelly Bricker
Additional contact information
Patricia L. Winter: US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, 4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
Steven Selin: Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, Division of Forestry & Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Lee Cerveny: US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
Kelly Bricker: Parks, Recreation & Tourism, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: This Special Issue addresses the intersections of outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, and sustainability. Outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism provide essential benefits to individuals, communities, and society and thereby contribute to sustainability. Equitable provision of opportunities, cultural variations in desired experiences, barriers to outdoor recreation, and diverse perceptions of both nature and recreation add to the complexity in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism service delivery. Outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism occur within a socioecological system with feedback loops to changing social, economic, technological, and ecological conditions. On a global scale, climate change and other disturbance factors are impacting ecosystems and opportunities, increasing the importance of adaptation strategies for longer-term planning. Population growth and regional shifts in demographics and distribution (e.g., urbanization), as well as socioeconomic trends, affect who engages in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism, opportunities sought, nature access, and governance of outdoor services. Overall the complexity of sustainable outdoor recreation and tourism may suggest a need for different approaches to service delivery, culture change among service providers and managers of natural spaces, and novel approaches to inclusive governance and shared stewardship. Given the clear importance of outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism to society, we invite you to consider this initial introduction to our assembled collection, which is meant to advance our understanding of the intersections of outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, and sustainability.

Keywords: outdoor recreation; nature-based tourism; sustainability; health; socioecological system; governance (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 (11)

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