|
| Processes
- Introduction to Human
Impacts |
|
People go to coastal dunes for many reasons. Some people live, work
or exercise on the dunes; others visit parks and natural areas for
recreation.
Recreational activities,
such as walking, driving and playing on coastal dunes, have physical
impacts on the dunes. The impacts depend on two things: |
A variety of activities on Mt. Pisgah (Holland,
MI))
|
| 1.
The nature of the activity
| The
activity's: |
Examples |
| type |
walking, running,
climbing, horse-riding |
| timing |
during spring growing
season,
on snow-covered dune in winter |
| frequency |
once, 200 times,
2000 times |
| concentration |
500 people in one
day,
500 people in four months |
2. The nature
of the dune environment
| The dune's: |
Examples |
| physical characteristics |
steep slope vs.
horizontal surface,
windward slope vs. lee slope
|
| ecological characteristics |
type(s)
of vegetation present,
sensitivity of vegetation to disturbance |
|
|
|
