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Conservation Vs Recreation. |
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Conflicts and Tensions | Recreation Vs Conservation | Closure or Constraint | Solutions | Conduct | References |
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"Three great waves have broken across the face of Britain since 1800. First, the sudden growth of dark industrial towns. Second, the thrusting movement along far-flung railways. Third, the sprawl of car based suburbs. Now we see, under the guise of a modest word, the surge of a fourth wave, which could be more powerful than all the others. The modest word is leisure." (Dower, 1965, as cited in Glyptis, 1992, p32). Today people are afforded far more leisure time than has been the case in the past. Figure 4 shows the increase in people's leisure time both in terms of the reduced number of weekly hours worked and the increase in annual holiday they are afforded. |
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Figure 4. Growth in leisure since 1891 People are using more and more of their free time to use the countryside, a fact supported by the rapid growth of the outdoor pursuits industry including such activities as mountain biking, walking or climbing. In 1985 the Countryside Commission estimated that on a typical summer Sunday some 18 million people in England and Wales were engaged in an out of home leisure activity (Glyptis, 1992, p1). Although in the last 10-15 years there have not been a dramatic increase in the numbers of visitors to the countryside the form of recreational activities have changed. Whereas in the past the opportunities for outdoor recreation mainly revolved around walking or "rambling", today there are a great deal of opportunities. Fashionable trends such as mountain biking and the increased interest in recreational 4WD vehicle driving have changed the impact that such visitors have on the countryside. Wheeled activities have allowed people to delve further into the countryside than previously possible on foot expanding the extent of erosion. Some participating in activities such as mountain biking no longer go to the countryside to enjoy the scenery, but see the environment as a challenge to be conquered as do some 4WD vehicle drivers. This has led to people seeking challenges in the natural terrain spreading erosion and damaging rights of way. Poorly maintained rights of way for example muddy or deeply holed are particularly attractive to those seeking challenges, which results in further damage and erosion. Vehicle offroading, once limited to relatively few enthusiasts in old Land |
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