Surfréquentation

The surfrequentation occurs when the pressure of the visitors, tourists or users of a Natural environment or semi-natural is such that it exceeds the capacity of the medium to regenerate. One uses sometimes this word in connection with the pressure of the itinerant herds or the free pasturage. The surfrequentation contributes sometimes to the “overuse” or “Surexploitation” of a medium. It is a concept relating to the vulnerability of the medium and the resources considered.

Examples

This concept recovers physical impacts of compressing, degradation and erosion of the grounds, and ecological impacts dependant on the degradation of the natural habitats or impacts anthropic such as:

- the human odor or of the dogs is very present, and can make flee certain animals fearing the man. The vulnerable species regress then with the profit of some species ubiquists.

- noise and other forms of disturbance of fauna (not held dogs leaves some)

- the abandonment of waste

- the fires generated by the cigarettes, involuntary acts or of vandalism

- the presence of many vehicles, etc

- lighting night, which can be the cause of luminous Pollution affecting the night Environnement

- the creation of routes by “ surpiétinement ”, which contribute to the ecological Fragmentation of the

medium - excessive pressure of hunting, fishes, fishing with foot, gathering, taking away of wood, of flowers, foams, fruits, wood died, etc threatening of the species or the ecological balance of the site.

- intrusion of mechanical sports noisy, pollutants or degrading the grounds and the herbaceous layer (Motor bike, quad, 4x4.), the equestrian VTT or sports being able themselves to generate significant impacts if they are concentrated on the same sites, or these fragile sites)…

(nonrestrictive list)

- habituation for certain animals to nourish remainders of human food, and waste abandoned or of food voluntarily distributed by visitors.

The surfrequentation is frequent in the city parks and périurbains, in timbering public (and sometimes private) périurbains, and on the great sites which attract million visitors, with the entries of forests and natural reserves, on certain littoral or forest mediums, wetlands, etc For example, in France at the beginning of the 21e century, approximately 60 million people attends the forest each year, a badly divided frequentation has impacts on the medium, and if the visitors are dispersed, they must today use more means of transport, which is not either without environmental impact total. Installations of reception of the public can decrease the pressure on the fragile mediums, by concentrating the frequentation at the least significant places, but many " large sites" landscape were very degraded by the surfrequentation (Cape Gris Nose, Cape Blanc Nose, Pointe of the Strong current, or Cape of the goat for example in France, on which work of restoration of the grounds and landscape are in progress)

Solutions?

Techniques of ecological Genius and/or differentiated Gestion can to some extent or a time to cure, as well as methods of drain and management of flows of public. They are used by the plans of management or master line of the protected areas. Some écolabels or of the écosociolabel S foresters such as FSC make compulsory a reflection and actions on this topic, if the forest is actually attended.

It is a state which one seeks to avoid in the reserves natural and National parks. Certain fragile mediums thus are opened with the public only part of the year or only at the time of guided tours. Elsewhere one sacrifices a zone for better protecting from others or one makes in kind make the zones most sensitive (hearts of habitats, important zones for threatened and/or protected species, etc).

See too

ecological Impact strength

External bonds

page on the risk management of surfrequentation of the underground mediums

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