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Visitor flow management in Sölktäler Nature Park

The attractive landscape with mountain lakes and rich flora and fauna makes Sölktäler Nature Park, Austria, attractive destinations for hikers in summer and skiers in wintertime. To mitigate the impacts of growing tourist visits in the area, the Nature Park management undertook several measures. To understand tourist flows in the Park, electronic counters were installed at four main hiking trails and manual counting at two hiking spots in summer was conducted. The monitoring of human impacts on wildlife was also monitored. Collected statistics allow for identification of days and weeks of increased tourist pressure, annual comparison of tourist flows and comparison between the presences found in four spota in the Park. Obtained data were used to create a five-year strategy for tourism management in the Park, together with local stakeholders. Also, an information brochure was created to communicate natural specificities of the Park and alternative tourist itineraries, to minimize the impact on fragile habitats. Detailed description of the pilot action can be found in the attached summary. Also, you can check a video of the pilot area at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbfGsH0ETaU&feature=youtu.be

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