Planning through recreation ecosystems for whole systems benefits
A couple of months ago, Louise Pederson, Executive Director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC, sent me an article published in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. The article, titled “From recreation ecology to a recreation ecosystem: A framework accounting for social-ecological systems”, presents a new path forward for considering interactions between recreation and the environment.
The article states:
Recreation ecology has its foundations in the premise that recreationists have a negative impact on ecosystems, and are thus treated as an ecological stressor. However, ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and the environment, not just an organism’s impacts on the environment. While we do not dispute the evidence that recreationists can negatively impact ecosystems, recreation can also have positive effects for conservation.
This is an important consideration. More than ever, people are seeing the value of spending time outdoors. In British Columbia, we rely heavily on our outdoor recreation tourism industry. Yet, often times we associate human use in the outdoors as “conflicts” with nature, instead of considering how we can co-exist and at times, flourish together.
I am an avid recreationalist and a committed conservationist. I’ve struggled with considering my impacts on the environment while performing the hobbies that bring me the most joy. How much is too much use? Why do we feel a burning desire to go further, longer, and faster? I ask myself these questions constantly (especially when I’m skinning up a mountain and a snowmobile passes me - and I’ll admit, sometimes I wish I could have that quick bump up to the fresh tracks).
I read this article when Louise first sent it, but found myself coming back to it this weekend after listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass chapter, “Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass”. In it, Robin talks about the challenges in convincing scientists in her institution of the value of studying positive relationships between humans and sweetgrass. A student of Robin’s found human interaction with sweetgrass results in healthier ecosystems. Sweetgrass which was not routinely thinned struggled to produce higher yields because dead stock made it difficult for new buds to grow. This revelation had me coming back to the article as another reminder that humans can, in fact, have positive impacts on ecosystem health when we first think about our relationship and responsibility to the land. These foundational principles put us in harmony with the ecosystem and move from a fear-based to a love-based approach to conservation.
In my work, I’m committed to whole systems thinking. I believe that humans play an essential role in the ecosystem and it is only from understanding these connections that we can plan for mutually beneficial, long-term outcomes. Shifting the narrative to consider recreation ecosystems is important for paving a new path forward.
