Historical development of limits of acceptable change: conceptual clarifications and possible extensions

Abstract

The Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) process was developed to deal with the issue of recreational carrying capacity. For that purpose, the LAC process sought to explicitly define a compromise between resource/visitor experience protection and recreation use goals. The most critical and unique element of the process is the specification of LAC standards that define minimally acceptable conditions. This paper identifies the antecedents of LAC, describes the rationale behind its formulation, and attempts to clarify LAC terminology and concepts. It assesses the extent to which a more generic LAC process might be applied to issues beyond recreation management in wilderness.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings - Limits of Acceptable Change and related planning processes: Progress and future directions

Citation

Cole, David N.; Stankey, George H. 1997. Historical development of limits of acceptable change: conceptual clarifications and possible extensions. In: McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N., comps. Proceedings - limits of acceptable change and related planning processes: progress and future directions: from a workshop held at the University of Montana''s Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-371. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 5-9