Analysis of visitor impact on the environments of the Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park and implications for recreational management

The Cradle Mountain - Lake.St. Clair National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, having 135,000 day visitors and 16,000 daywalkers and back-country walkers in 1979/80. The majority of visitors were well educated and were either in professional.and administrative positions or were students. 'Seventy percent of the backcountry visitors were from the mainland states. The large number of walkers in the park have contributed towards the deterioration of the track system, with 29% of the tracks in a poor state. Badly damaged tracks are concentrated at high altitudes and on ill-drained areas where user intensity exceeds 1500 persons per annum. Track rehabilitation and relocation to allow comfort near the vehicle access points and to avoid further environmental damage elsewhere will cost approximately $700,000. The rate of recolonization of alpine areas bared and eroded by trampling is extremely slow and active rehabilitation may be required. Recolonization of subalpine heaths, sedgelands and grasslands seems to be adequate. The problems of littering and track deterioration recognised by the questionnaire respondents seem partly susceptible to solution through manipulatory techniques of park management. A fee system, overwhelmingly supported by questionnaire respondents, could easily cover the costs of solving the physical problems of track deterioration. The key to successful park management is the education of actual and potential park users. Without their support and appreciation of management problems and strategies, the most well thought out management plan would not realize its goals.