Monitoring MPA visitor uses handbook

2. Devising the projectStudying human use of a marine protected area does not simply amount to counting people or boats. A strategymust be implemented for the acquisition and processing of data necessary to achieve clear, consistent managementgoals.2.1 Defining the goals of the visitoruse monitoring project2.1.1 Four key questionsFirst, the management entity’s challenges andexpectations in respect of visitor use knowledge mustbe identified. A visitor use study is frequently carriedout without first defining clear goals. The results aresubsequently not relevant and are difficult to use formanagement purposes.Four questions provide a framework for the project’smain goals :• What management problems does visitor use raise inthe MPA?• What are the visitor use management objectives in theMPA?• Which information should the project provide to understandvisitor uses that cause the problems?• Which existing information can be used for the project?Information already available and the data obtainedthrough the project will not be sufficient in themselvesfor decision-making. However, they will provide input forreflection on the implementation of appropriate managementmeasures.Defining the project goals: 2 examples“There are too many visitors at my MPA and I want torestrict numbers.”The visitor monitoring project must provide data aboutthe extent of visitor numbers and their distribution inspace and time, the characteristics of uses and practices,user types and user perceptions of their own visit andother uses.“Some remarkable birds nest in my MPA and I want tominimize risks of disturbance during the breeding period.”The visitor use monitoring project should help quantifyvisitor flows at the nesting sites, measure variationsin visitor use during the nesting period, obtain dataabout users and their activities and the reasons behindtheir practices on the nesting sites, and assess theirknowledge of birds and their perception of the avifaunaand disturbances.2.1.2 AdviceTo obtain a global vision of an MPA’s visitor use, severalstudies may be necessary. It is important to ensurethat they are complementary and coherent in termsof methodology. Les Calanques de Marseille NationalPark (in France) can provide evidence of this need forcoordination. In twenty years, the managers and ownerentities have carried out over 40 visitor use monitoringprojects to quantify and qualify visitor numbers anduse at some of the park’s sites (eco-counters, surveys,interviews, visual counts on land and at sea, flowestimations, etc.). However, the studies do not relate tothe same times of the year, they are based on differentmonitoring protocols or sometimes target specific uses(diving or climbing for instance), making all subsequentdata compilation extremely complex. Other factorscan complicate the analysis, such as multiple types ofaccess and weather conditions for example.2.2 Adapting requirements toresourcesThe question of the resources (financial, human and materialresources, skills, possible partnerships, etc.) thatthe manager can invest in the monitoring project is acentral issue. These resources will effectively influencethe degree of precision, completeness and analysis ofthe data acquired.Four levels of analysis can be determined. The higherthe level, the more resources the monitoring project willdemand.COMPLEXITYLevel-1 analysisSpecific needfor informationLevel-2 analysisIn-depth studyLevel-3 analysisMonitoring of variationsLevel-4 analysisCarrying capacityevaluationFigure 3 : Visitor use analysis levels.Use of themethodologyguideCooperationwith experts TABLE OF CONTENTS 12 COLLECTION VISITOR USE OBSERVATION AND MONITORING IN MEDITERRANEAN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS