Recreation and resources.

Abstract

Research in recreation is recent in origin, essentially inter-disciplinary in nature, and with great practical importance in planning terms. This symposium reviews the status of research into demand for recreation and the supply of recreational resources, and outlines examples of the practical application of this work. Concepts of expressed, latent and potential demand are examined. While the present pattern of demand is known with some accuracy, problems of prediction are severe. In terms of supply, techniques for evaluating recreation resources are discussed, and the problems of determining the capacity of recreational resources and of their effective location are examined. The practical problems of managing visitor pressure in an area of high quality scenery, the Snowdonia National Park, are related to available management techniques, and the limited areal extent of visitor pressure is emphasized. Another scarce resource of a different kind, inland water, is discussed in the final contribution. The development of new resources and the better management of existing resources can alleviate, but not dispel, the problems. Again, the solution must lie in more management backed by adequate financial resources.