Abstract
Practically no information exists on the impact of human trampling on tropical rain forest vegetation. We studied three trails with varying periods of use and recovery in a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica. Human impact on trailside plants was curvilinearly related to use, as found by other workers in temperate zone vegetation. Recovery in a period of two years and eight months had been rapid, and herbs and seedlings were more abundant along the recovering trail than in undisturbed forest. The results imply that a shifting mosaic of trails, analogous to the mosaic created by light gaps, may be the best management technique to minimize the impact of human visitors in tropical rain forests.
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Boucher, D.H., Aviles, J., Chepote, R. et al. Recovery of trailside vegetation from trampling in a tropical rain forest. Environmental Management 15, 257–262 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02393857
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02393857