Visitor Impact Management (VIM) framework was developed in the United States to help recreation resources management to be more systematic and effective. It consists of a series of steps from examining problems and their causes to planning and implem...
Visitor Impact Management (VIM) framework was developed in the United States to help recreation resources management to be more systematic and effective. It consists of a series of steps from examining problems and their causes to planning and implementing management strategies in order to solve the problems. This study was conducted to find management problems in Moodeung-san Provincial Park and suggest some alternatives based on VIM framework. Data were collected by on-site survey and a mail-back questionnaire in August of 1996 in Moodeung-san Provincial Park. Out of 1173, 519 respondents (44.2%) were used for the study. According to the study results, there were differences between users' perceptions about the present use of the park and the users' personal norms about the use of the park. That is, while 46% of the respondents considered the park should be used as 'the place for calm and meditiation,' only 19% of the respondents considered the park had been used as 'the place for calm and meditation.' Three social indicators (the number of users, the number of seeing others' inconsiderate behaviors, and the crime) and four ecological indicators (littering, human waste, trail conditions, and water quality of Moodeung-san valleys) were selected for the major managerial indicators of the study area. Generally, five out of 7 selected indicators were in worse conditions than the evaluative standards, Five indicators which were evaluated as in worse conditions include two social indicators (the number of users and the number of seeing others' inconsiderate behaviors) and three ecological indicators (littering, human waste and trail conditions). Two other indicators such as water quality of Moodeung-san valley and the crime were identified to be important for users' recreational experience. More concerns and systematic investigations on these indicators are needed. This study discussed some management strategies to solve the identified problems, and introduced how mangers may make use of these information for recreation resource menagement in the park.