Management plans, and where applicable, community plans, reflect existing legislation, policy, standards and guidelines as they pertain to a national park. Therefore it is the management plan that provides the key source of direction for managing human use at the field level. Current Situation Consistent with the requirement to maintain ecological integrity, each national park may offer a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities to visitors so that they can understand and experience the park's natural environment. Every kind of use requested by the public cannot be provided and public demand alone is not sufficient for the provision of services and facilities. Decisions on the management of human use are to be informed by best available knowledge, supported by social and natural science research.
Human use is recognized as one of the highest priorities in future research.
Parks Canada is developing a national science strategy to address future ecological, social and cultural science needs. Among the stressors within national parks, there are major impacts from visitor use and from infrastructure such as transportation corridors. Parks Canada uses a variety of direct and indirect strategies for managing public use, including zoning, rationing use intensity, restricting activities, and law enforcement, facility design, public education, information dispersal, and fees mechanisms. However, research on the public acceptance and the effectiveness of various human use management strategies is lacking. Existing policy direction also needs to be applied on a more consistent basis throughout the program.