Document Type

Theses, Ph.D

Disciplines

2.7 ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Publication Details

Submitted as fulfillment of the requirements of a degree of Ph.D. by research to Dublin Institute of Technology. Sinéad O’Connor-Gotra 2009.

Abstract

The research reported has created a holistic model for sustainable trail management that is broader than the quantitative assessment of ecological trail degradation. The range of quantitative and qualitative results gathered show that a more realistic treatment of sustainable trail management needs is achieved through a qualitative, participative and flexible research process. The investigation focuses primarily on the assessment of trail degradation in the uplands of Co. Wicklow, Ireland where signs of deterioration have been observed as a consequence of recreational use. The nature and extent of trail degradation was assessed using a variety of techniques including qualitative and quantitative field surveys, perceptual photographic studies and participative and erosion risk mapping studies using GIS. Analysis of results show that quantitative field assessment techniques have limited relevance and application in trail management and decision making.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/fsw3-6e49

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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