Use of the recreation opportunity spectrum in natural protected area planning and management

Abstract

The use of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) framework, widely used in planning and managing wildland recreation in the United States, was tested for managing recreation opportunities in southern Durango, Mexico. Two natural protected areas were used as case studies to evaluate the ROS criteria and standards for land classification of outdoor recreation opportunities. Personal interviews were used to learn visitors’ characteristics and the recreation activities they performed during their visits. Other pieces of information consisted of maps, aerial photos, field trips, and population demographics. The ROS criteria and standards used to inventory and describe outdoor recreation opportunities in the two areas differed from the original ROS criteria and were adapted to local conditions. Based on visitors’ preferred settings and other available information, the study identified three of the six commonly used ROS classes. Overall, the ROS framework appears to perform appropriately in these two case studies and could be used effectively for recreation planning purposes in other forest areas of Mexico.

Parent Publication

• Recreation visitor research: studies of diversity

Citation

Perez-Verdin, Gustavo; Lee, Martha E.; Chavez, Deborah J. 2008. Use of the recreation opportunity spectrum in natural protected area planning and management. In: Chavez, Deborah J.; Winter, Patricia L.; Absher, James D., eds. Recreation visitor research: studies of diversity. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-210. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 23-38. Chapter 3.