In this context, the decision space of the national park manager is quite different from that of those in the multiple-use land management agencies. Management actions must stand up, not only to law and policy and to scientific scrutiny, but they must also be sensitive to the needs of residents in surrounding communities, to county and state governing bodies, and to visitors from across the nation and around the world. Balancing these needs while protecting resources is an ongoing challenge made more difficult as the mix of stakeholders grows. Increasing tourism adds to the challenge. For example, explosive growth in tourism has led to rapid population growth and economic change in southeast Utah.
Recreational activities are often in conflict with traditional uses such as grazing and mining.
Impacts from all these land uses contribute to deterioration of the region's sensitive natural resources, and potentially diminish residents' quality of life, especially in areas where such uses are concentrated. Institutional analysis, public preference measures, knowledge and value assessment, and economic effects modeling can provide valuable insights into interactions between human communities and national lands and resources. When agencies and institutions with differing goals and processes work together, the results can be disappointing, especially if there is a lack of understanding about the involved players, their goals, and how they are likely to go about achieving their goals. Our hypothesis in beginning this research project was that overlapping jurisdictions and mandates for recreation management are associated with reduced ability of local, state, and federal land managers to implement these policies. The tool we used to analyze this problem is the Institutional Atlas.