Visitor trail attribute expectations for a proposed heritage trail: potential impacts for an integrated resource management regime

This thesis examined a method of identifying heritage visitors' expectations of trail attributes encountered on a multi-use trail and how these expectations could be incorporated into an Integrated Resource Management planning process. Using data from a mail-out survey exploring heritage visitors expectations for standards affected by recreational, forestry, and mining activities, the research proposed an alternative method of collecting user needs data to be incorporated into a heritage trail design plan. The survey design employed expectancy theory to reveal heritage visitors' expectations towards types of recreational encounter and impacts from potential logging or mining activity. Residency proved to be the single most determining expectancy variable analysed in this study for differences in impact assessments. Interviews with identified resource planning stakeholders were used to analyse how survey data would be incorporated by stakeholders in shared-use decision making processes for resource planning. Integrated Resource Management planning methods have proven effective in utilising research data from multiple fields in a collaborative process of negotiated use or access. This thesis provides research from a recreational and heritage perspective to aid these collaborative development efforts. The relatively homogenous survey results from heritage visitors suggest they hold similar attitudes towards both recreational and industrial pursuits on or near the trail. Preferences lie in non-mechanised low-impact recreation and very limited industrial activities which predominately represent previous historical practices. Stakeholder interview results indicate that as planning data, the incorporation of this data will be dependent upon each stakeholder group's organisational mandate.