Impacts of Outdoor Leisure

Outdoor leisure affects lots of different things and mostly it has both a positive and negative affect, I am going to look at the negative and positive impacts outdoor leisure has on the New Forests National Park.

What is an Impact?

A impact is the effect or impression of one thing on another.

Outdoor leisure in the New Forest has an impact on:

• The Economy
• The Environment
• Social Cultural

I am going to look at each of theses individually and find what positive and negative impacts outdoor leisure has on them.

The Economy

The economy is the financial aspect of all activities, it deals with the production and consumption of all the goods and services. Outdoor leisure impacts the economy in many ways. Firstly direct spending by tourists and visitors is a very small impact as it is very easy to measure, however indirect impacts of leisure is much larger as it is much harder to measure the subsequent spending by the suppliers etc.

The Negative Economic Impacts of Outdoor Leisure in The New Forest

The negative economic impacts can be both man made and natural the main negative economic impacts of outdoor leisure in the new forest are:

• Leakage
• Infrastructure cost
• Increase in prices
• economic dependence
• seasonal character of jobs

Leakage

The first negative economic impact i am going to look at is leakage, the leakage system is when the money that is made in the community goes outside the community where it was made. This is a negative impact as the companies inside the community need the money to improve things such as education. When the money starts to leave the community, for example when local people start buying cars, this provides money to foreign companies, this is called the trickle down effect which is shown on the left. At the top of the system is the main businesses, these businesses make the most money from the community, they then provide money for the next level with is the suppliers and employees, these people then buy things from other businesses which then leaks down to indirect impacts. The final level shows the money leaving the community when local companies and people start to provide there money to suppliers outside the community, for example they need to buy new buses and build bigger buildings to attract more tourists, when they should be spending the money in the community for things such as education, hospitals etc. this therefore shows how the trickle down effect and the leakage system has such a big negative impact on local communities that survive on tourism such as the New Forest.

Infrastructure Costs

This system is when the money in the community leaves the so that it can pay for attractions in the community, the money comes from the local government and local taxpayers. The more tourists that come to The New Forest the more the community needs to improve to make sure they keep getting visitors as they survive on the income of money tourists provide. All infrastructure costs are man made and are rather expensive, examples of infrastructure costs are:

• Airports
• Roads
• Train Stations
• Bridges

These things attract tourists which then provides more money to the community however some of the things that the community pays for are not really needed which means that they are spending on things that they don't need instead of things that they do need such as new hospitals for the community or better crop fields and houses.

Another negative thing is that taxpayers are paying for things to change in the community that they need to change however the money is just towards things that the community does not really need but is something that attracts visitors.

The New Forest is very popular and many people drive to it and through it everyday, therefore the roads are warn down and need to be refurbished however the local government may decided to build Anthe airport instead which is not needed and also leads to more noise and air pollution. Also in the New Forest the community needs to spend a lot of money making sure the habitat is safe for the wild animals to live there, however a lot of the money is spend on buying more tourist buses which just ruins the environment more.

Increase in Prices

This system has a massive negative effect on all communities, especially one that is very popular with tourists. It is self explanatory however there is a lot behind it. Everything has a different amount of demand, this just depends on what time of the year or what season it is, as everything is needed just at different times. When something is at a high demand the suppliers increase the price as people will still be willing to buy the product even if it is more expensive, for example during the summer season everyone will be wanting to buy sun cream so the companies will all increase the price so they get more money.

This has a huge economic effect in small communities, such as the New Forest, when there are increasing demands for basic services and goods the prices will rise which will effect the local residents as they may struggle to buy these basic things as there income does not increase proportionately.

As more prices are raised the less the local people can afford to live there and are therefore forced to move away, if everyone in the community starts to move away the community will fall apart, which means they will lose visitor which leads to the community having no money.

Also as everything is slowly increasing in prices so will the property prices, such as the building costs and the land values which will upset the locals and make it even more difficult for them to live in that area.

Economic Demands

All local communities rely on the main businesses in the area to provide them with things such as jobs and products which can then improve the community to make it more attractive towards tourists so they then get more money, however if the area is only relying on the tourist business and the companies and they end up not doing well then the community is going to fall apart and not have any money at all. This is a negative impact on the area as they need more than just the economic dependence on those businesses to survive, because if the businesses falls apart so does the community.

In the New Forest they are very dependent on tourism and if something goes wrong which can not be fixed without it costing a lot then the tourists will not come, leading to the whole community collapsing. Therefore the New Forest should start to find other businesses and areas to also relay on as a backup plan so that they get money from not just one source.

Seasonal Character of Jobs

A seasonal job is when someone only gets employed for only a certain amount of time during the year, for example during a particular season. This is a negative impact to some people in the local community as their income is insecure, this is because they might have a job one year however the next year they may not get it leading to them not getting any income.

A example of a seasonal job in the new Forest is a summer camp, the New Forest is more popular during the summer because of the weather therefore most people get a job during the summer however as more people start to want to work the less jobs will be available so one person who worked the over the last summer may not get the same job during the next summer. This is a negative compared with normal jobs are you are also sure that you will get an income from that job and you also now that you will have the same job every year and everyday which secures your income.

Another negative is it is hard to get training for seasonal jobs as there is such as short time to train the person and it is also hard for the person to get use to their job as they have such a short time to do it. It is hard to get training as well because the seasonal job may change each year making it hard for the seasonal character to remember everything.

Finally unlike a normal job with a seasonal job you do not get things like a pension or medical benefits, as you are at the job for a very short amount of time. This then also makes seasonal jobs less popular which does not help the community during that certain season. The main negative economic impact of this system is that the salary income is very rocky so more people will not have a secure income so as the prices increase due to product demand they may not be able to afford them leading them to having to move out of the community.

The Positive Economic Impacts of Outdoor Leisure

Many of the negative economic effects can also have a positive impact on the New Forest from outdoor leisure. This is because the impacts can have a negative and positive effect as one impact can effect different people in different ways. I will be looking at these positive effects along with ones that do not relate to one of the negative effects i have already looked at.

The positive effects i am going to look at are:

• Contribution of government revenue
• Employment generation
• Infrastructure investment
• Contribution to local economics

Contribution of Government Revenue

The government contributes money to many places to help them keep running and open so that the local area they work for can attract more tourists and therefore get more money. It is important that the governments helps small tourist attractions to help with important things such as infrastructure and running costs. As the New Forest is a one of the smallest national parks with the highest visitor numbers it is important that the local government supports it so it can keep running and keep attracting more customers. There are two main ways that the government provides money these are:

Direct Contributions are generated by taxes and income from employment and businesses.

Indirect Contributions come from taxes or duties levied on goods or services supplied by visitors, such as bus services.

The New Forest has lots of attraction that help it running such as bike hire, bus and tram services. These services then provide money for the new forest to stay open and also keep adding more attractions so that more tourists will come and visit and so that the locals also have new services and more available jobs.

Employment Generation

Employment is generated when a place gains more tourists and therefore becomes bigger or needs to expand due to popular demands. When this happens more shops and attractions have to be opened which therefore means that there are more jobs for people who live there locally. When there are more jobs it means that more people are able to make money and then stay in the area as they are able to pay for living costs which may increase because of popular demands for new attractions and shops.

The area can generate jobs directly through:

• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Nightclubs
• Taxis
• Outdoor and indoor activities
• souvenir sales

Employment is generated indirectly through:

• The supply of goods
• services needed by leisure related businesses
• activities

The South East Tourism Survey says that The New Forest is visited by 13.5 people every year, this is a huge number of people and is why the local areas are always having to build new attraction and shops to keep all the visitors are happy and satisfied with the their visit so that they will come back and tell others about it. The total number of jobs sustained directly and indirectly by visitor activity is estimated as 2,451. There are 15 million local people who live around the new Forest how all need jobs so they can carry on living there, this is why this is a positive as it is giving more locals the chance to earn a lot of money. There are more jobs now in the New forest as more people are coming to visit, this is a positive thing as it is generating the locals more money.

Infrastructure Investment

This impact can be a negative and positive impact as shown earlier. This is Because the negative impact is when the government spend most of the money that is made on infrastructure so that tourists are impress with the community, when the money really needs to be spent on this such as education and hospital. However the local area may need to improve things such as the roads or transport as they might be getting dangerous to live by. Therefore infrastructure investment is a positive thing as it also provides the local area with things they need such as:

• Better water systems
• Better sewage systems
• More/better roads
• Better electricity and telephone signal
• More public transport networks

This can improve the quality of life for the residents as well as facilities for the leisure industry. This is because most of the local people need this things as well as the tourists.

Contribution to Local Economics

Money that is used to contribute to local economics is like the government contribution however it comes from things such as donations, vending machines and money earned through informal employment such as waiters. The money is then given to the local area to improve things such as :

• Animal habitats
• Parks
• services
• infrastructure costs

The New Forest has lost of charities that work with it to help improve and keep the national parks environmentally friendly. There are many charity's that help the New Forests National Park some are:

• Wildlife Trust
• DEFRA
• English Nature
• Forest Authority
• Countryside Agency
• National Park Authorities

All these charities gain money to make sure that the New Forest is looked after so people and animals can live there with no danger. Therefore lots of things are repaired or replaced with the money that is contributed.

Direct earning and spending by leisure visitors is only the tip of the iceberg, the indirect impacts of outdoor leisure is so much larger!

The Environment

The environment in the New Forests National Park has to be looked after very well, this is to insure that the all animals in the national Park can live there without getting harmed and in a healthy and safe environment. Today there are an estimate 13.5 million visitor days spent in the New Forests National Park every year, also though this is a positive economic impact the visitors can course a lot of damage to the area as they may not know the rules and regulations that have been made to keep the environment safe. On the 4th of March 2010 our leisure and sport class visited to the New Forest to look at the environment and see how we can cause a lot of damage by only doing something very small. In this part of my work i am going to look at the positive and negative impacts that outdoor leisure can effect the environment.

The Outdoor leisure activities that people can do in the New Forest which have a huge effect on the environment are:

• Horse Riding
• Walking
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Camping

Negative Impacts

As the national park is home to 3000 New Forest ponies, cows, pigs and sheep it is very important that tourists respect and know the rules before performing an outdoor leisure activity, this is because they activities can course a lot of damage. The Negative impacts of outdoor leisure on the envisioned are:

• Trampling
• Traffic
• Disturbance to wildlife
• Camping
• Littering
• Forest Fires

Trampling

In the New Forest people are allowed to walk or horse ride anywhere in the national park, they have full access this however can cause, trampling. It can be caused by foot, horse riding or cycling, this kind of trampling is known as mechanical erosion, this is because it is man made and not natural, as people are effecting the everyman making it erode. Erosion means the gradual destruction or reduction and weakeningof something(especially soil). As most of the New Forest is made of sand it is very easy for it to be damaged and erode, therefore it is very important that people stay on paths and tracks that have been specially made. However not very many people do this so the trampling can lead to compaction of the fragile soils and therefore change the landscape. This then confuses the animals and limits their grazing areas so they then start to go other places to eat which could be dangerous such as by the sides of roads and trains tracks. Server trampling can then lead to certain areas to be inaccessible so people start to make new tracks and the process starts again.

Traffic

Out of the 13.5 visitors the new forest get a year 96% of them arrive by car. This therefore means their is a huge increase in congestion along all the main roads. Lyndhurst is one of the local villages in the New Forest as it is right next to the main road it gets a lot of traffic which makes a lot of air pollution. The air pollution then damages the local people, the animals (fauna) and plants (flora). As well as air pollution the cars can also cause noise pollution, this can affect the animals stress levels which can then make them dangerous to humans as they will start to respond differently to noises due to the different frequencies. As there is a lot of traffic there is also a increased amount of animal accidents, these are caused when traffic on unfenced roads comes across free roaming livestock, around 100 animals are killed each year due to the cars.

As so many people travel by car, more and more car parks have been made, these car parks then destroy parts of the New Forest as the car parks need to be big to fit lots of cars in. The car parks can then also confuses the animals and or destroy there habitats and homes, forcing them to move to another part of the forest.

Disturbance to Wildlife

Their are thousands of animals that live in the New Forest and a lot of them are very rare and famous at the New Forest however as the New Forest is becoming more and more popular the animals homes are slowly getting destroyed. During the months March to July a lot of the animals are nesting therefore it is very important for visitors to respect this however there is always conflict between people, the animals and dog walkers. This is because the animals become very protected which can be potential dangerous to humans. The New Forest has experienced 2 very serious accidents with the wild ponies as they can be vicious towards humans. These accidents manly happen becuase of the distrubence the tourists make such as making noise and air pollution and also leaving litter. As well as this many tourists feed the wild animals which can be very bad for their health due to the high salt contence this then means they need more water which can be hard to find in warm weather conditions. The wild ponies can also become addictive to the suger and become aggressive when they do not get what they want, which can be potenical dangerous.

Camping

There are allicated areas for people who want to camp in the New Forest, this is a negative as these areas are constantly used which causes soil eriosion which prevents the plants from growing. As theses areas are contantly used, things such as electricity and toliets have to be provided, this then ruins the area even more as they have to build more facilities which compacts the ground and changes the microclimates. Also there are lots of cables around whcih can be potenical dangerous for the wild animals inthe area as they may try to eat them or get tangled within them, this will change there behavior.

Littering

Littering is not one of the biggest problems in the New Forest however it can cause a lot of harm sometimes. Although it may not seem so, litter can cause big problems with the animals and plants.

Firstly animals can try and eat the dropped litter, this could be potentially dangerous to them as they could choke on the left litter and or get addicted to the sugary contense which could affect their behaviour. In the New Forest there are lots of wild animals who will eat anything, if they find litter and eat it they could die, this is why not littering is very important in the New Forest.

Secondly, litter can cause forest fires, especially during the summer season, this is because the ground is dry and hot and if the sun reflex of a pieces of shiny rubbish it could cause a fire which would destroy a lot of plants. One of the biggest causes of the fires are cigarette ends, to prevent this problem happening the New Forest commission supplies cigarette butt holders so people do not drop them on the floor. As well as litter causing forest fires it also makes the countryside land look ugly visually destroying it. This then decreases the number of tourists and therefore money.

As the New Forest has a lot of outdoor leisure activities it is important that before each activity everybody know ad is educated about the dangerous of dropping litter, this is because, when big crowds of people come to the New Forest to participate in an outdoor leisure a lot of them become lazy with their rubbish and start to drop it on the ground and leaving it there for an animal to eat it or a forest fire to start.

Forest Fires

There are around 40 accidental Forest fires in the New Forest a year. They are caused by careless use of barbecues and or dropping cigarette. These forest fires have a huge effect in the landscape and there also are a lot of wildlife and humans in danger. Forest fires destroy evey thing and have huge impacts on the animal's lives as they will lose food and homes as well as this farmers will lose crops and therefore money.

In the New Forest there are many camping sites, the people camping sometimes do not know the dangerous of having camp fires, this outdoor leisure is one of the biggest causes of fires in the New Forest, this is because a lot of campers leave their fires to burn at night and they start to spread. This them puts their lives and the lives of others in danger. As well as camp fires because their are camp sites electricity needs to be supplied for things such as the toilets and shops, many of the wires are now planted underground, even though this hides them if they are placed in incorrectly they may too cause a fire.

However the New Forest commission also do a lot of controlled fires, when an area of plants grow to tall they burn the areaof land so that they greenery is regenerated. These fires are safe and controlled and are only ever performed when the area is free.

Positive Impacts

Outdoor leisure does destroy the environment however there are some positive impacts of it as well, there are lots of things that have been made to make sure that the environment stays safe, the positive impacts of outdoor leisure are:

• Transport
• Wind Turbines and Solar Energy
• Conservation
• Education

Transport

Public transport is a very good and easy way to cut down carbon admission pollution, if everybody started to use public transport there would be a lot less cars on the road which would reduce the amount of air pollution and also make roads more safe. In the New Forest there are lots of different forms of transport to help people get places and to stop people bringing their on cars. There are lots of train station, buses and trams all around New Forest.

A better form on transport is either walking or cycling. If more people walked or cycled then this would reduce the amount of air pollusion even more. In the New Forest there are bike hire shops next to every train station so people can travel to the New Forest by train and then cycle around it as there are specific cycle paths all around the New Forest. As well as this people are allowed to walk where ever they like in the national park which is a big attraction and also reduces the amount of cars.

Wind Turbines and Solar Energy

These are both new types of technology that produce electricity enviromentally friendly. They are both free forms of getting electricity. Wind turbines turn wind in to energy

Solar energy is made from solar panels and the sun.

Conservation

Conservation is when a something is looked after well so that it stays the same or is developed so that the needs of people today and in the future are met. Lots of historical objects are conserved so that people in the future can enjoy them as well as us. For example Stonehenge, these days people are not allowed to touch the stones and there is security to prevent people from touching them. This is because before this rule was enforced lots of people climbed and touched the stones so they started to eroded. This is a picture of what Stonehenge is thought of to look like when it was first built and what it looks like now:

This is why it is important to conserve things, if the Stonehenge rule had not been enforced people today and in the future may not of ever been able to see it. As well as keeping something old the same sustainable development is done, this is when a pattern of resources are used that aim to meet human needs, while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only today but in the indefinite future. However this does cost money which is where outdoor leisure helps. The money from the activities then helps:

• old footpaths used so that less trampling happens, by making signs and putting down gravel etc.
• old buildings to stay stable
• the animals homes protected

As all the outdoor leisure activities are performed specific areas the activities help all area to stay attractive and historic.

Education

It is very important that people are educated about the location they are going before they get there, this is so that they do not destroy any land and now which rules they must follow to insure the land is safe. It is very important to be educated about the environment so it stays the same and therefore future generation can enjoy the same location as people today. There are lots of outdoor leisure activities that are educational and active, such as educational walks, horse riding and cycling tours. The information that is provided is then passed on so more and more people know how to look after the environment.

In the New Forest there are lots of educational leaflets, posters and centres that are mostly free which means that most people who visit the New Forest will care and look after the environment whilst there. The New Forest also do environmental walks, this is when a guide takes a group of people around a certain area of the national park and show examples of trampling, erosion, forest fires and animal habitats. This then means more people will be looking after the New Forest so the enviroment wont change so dramatically and people in the future can enjoy the area as we do today.

Social Cultural

The impacts that go under this category are things that effect the local community and the people who live in the community. The social cultural impacts are those who change or help the local peoples lives and the area they live in. The social impacts are mostly related to the peoples lives and how they are affected but tourism and outdoor leisure and the cultural impacts are how the community makes money from the tourists and outdoor leisure activities and what they use the money for.

The Negative Social Cultural Impacts of Outdoor Leisure

All the towns and villages that are situated around the New Forest are quite small therefore most locals now each other, which makes it a very friendly atmosphere. A lot of the locals welcome tourists and the outdoor leisure activities that are provided due to the money that they bring, however they also affect the communities as well, the negative effects that outdoor leisure has on the local's social lives and community are:

• Change of Village Character
• Property Prices
• Pets
• Animal Accidents
• Litter

Change of Village Character

As said before all the towns and villages around the New Forest are very small so most people living in them know each other, this makes the community strong and happy as they can work together to keep their local area clean and environmentaly friendly. However 14 million people visit the New Forest a year and a lot of the tourists are attracted to the atmosphere and buy holiday home or move there permanently. These tourists might change the character of the village as they may have young children who do not know how to look after the New Forest, or behavioural problems, as more people start to settle in to their new homes the local area will change as no one will know each other anymore. This can be a negative as all the new people moving in may destroy the land as they do not know how to look after it properly. New locals may also not be educated about the area so the culture of the area may be lost and new people might want to make everything more modern or different to attract more people which would lead to the culture and history of the local villages to change.

Property Prices

As more people buy holiday homes and properties in the local New Forest areas because of the outdoor attractions, the prices are going to raise an so will the living costs, this may mean that locals that have lived in the New Forest most of their lives might have to move out as they want be able to afford to live there anymore. With a high demand in properties more homes will be built over land which would ruin the areas. Also with more people moving in to the areas there will be fewer jobs which would lead to more people having to migrate to a cheaper area to live.

Pets

Tourists may have pet dogs or cats that ruin the area and scare the wild animals, for example many dogs chase rabbits and destroy bird nests. As well as they may not clean up after their pets, therefore it would leave the area looking dirty and not looked after which would decrease the amount of visitors and therefore there would be less money to pay for infrastructure costs which would again decrease the number of tourists.

Animal Accidents

There are 3000 wild animals that live in the New Forest, sadly there are 100 animals killed a year by cars. This is because the New Forest is getting more and more crowded and as the animals are allowed to run free in the New Forest, tourists and crowds of people who have never visited before scare them or hit them with their cars by accident. It is very important to drive at the right speed limits around the New Forest however lots of people from cities come to the area and drive recklessly and end up having a road accident a wild animal , sadly mostly the wild New Forest Ponies, this effects the locals as they may own the animals that get hurt. It is the culture of the New Forest which allows the animals to run free and because of the high amount of accidents this may have to be changed which no one wants as it will change the New Forest and upset the locals.

Litter

Littering does not just affect the environment but it also effects the culture and social lives of the communities The litter that is left on the town streets by tourist groups and people doing outdoor leisure makes the area look unclean and un looked after, also a lot of the wild horses walk along the streets and may get ill from the litter left, for example they may get colic. The litter also upsets the locals as it is being left by their homes, which is unpleasant to look at and tidy up.

The Positive Social Cultrual Impacts of Outdoor Leisure

Outdoor Leisure however have some positive impacts on the New Forest's social and cultural atmosphere, this is becuase it provides a lot of opitinuties for everyone who lives there. The positive impacts are:

• More Jobs
• Create Access
• Attractions

More Jobs

As more and more people come to visit the New Forest the bigger it has to become, this therefore means more shops or more attraction such as museums have to be built so tourists keep coming. Locals then get more jobs, which helps them get enough money for them afford to live in the same area where all there friends and family live. This thereofre means that there social life will stay the same and provides them with a better oppitunitiy to meet more people as they will have work collugies etc.

As everybody in the local areas have jobs the atmosphere in the area will be better as everyone will be earning money. Also they will be getting more tourisits who they want to impresse and show how nice their cummunity is.

Create Access

With the number of tourists that come to the area, there will have to be more forms of transport. This will then provide the locals with better access around the area. As well as this they will get lower prices for the transport as they leave in the area, so they will be able to get to and from work everyday without using there car which will lower the amount of air pullsion. This then keeps the culture of the communitiy the sma eand make it a nice and clean place to live.

As there will be more transport resources less people will drive whcih will lower the risk of road accidents. Locals will then feel more safe letting their children go out as they will know that the area they live in is safe. also there will be less road accidents with animals, this will then allow the animals to run free around the New Forest without any danger. This then keeps the animal culture of the area the same which will attract more tourists and prvide more money.

Attractions

More attractions will be built to make sure the area gets more tourisits. The attractions can also be for the locals and they will then have more intrests in living in the area as there will be more for them to do. Also lots of the loclas families and friends may come to stay which will provided them with things to do whilst vising, this then provides the locals with a better social life as they will be able to visit the attractions with friends without having to leave the area they live in.