A Method for Determining the Affected Areas of High-Alpine Mountain Trails

High-mountain areas with sensitive ecosystems are experiencing a steady increase in visitation, with visitors progressively moving outside designated trails, generating pressures on the natural environment. In extensive areas with numerous access points, it is difficult to monitor visitors’ movement and resulting impacts. This article describes a method for combining various data sources and approaches to determine affected areas, including their locations and extent. The method combines (1) field-mapping, (2) remote-sensing data display analysis, and (3) processing of publicly available GNSS tracks from sports applications, using 46 test plots along a selected trail to Mount Triglav in Slovenia. Affected-area surfaces and their spatial overlap were compared across the three approaches. The usefulness of remote-sensing displays and GNSS tracks for determining and predicting affected areas was assessed by reference to field measurements. A linear regression model showed that the display-analysis approach can explain 52.7% of the variability in field-mapping approach, while GNSS tracks do not provide enough information nor the accuracy comparable to field surveys. This study can help other researchers and nature-protection managers in selecting most suitable data derived from non-traditional sources to improve delineation of hiking trails and estimation of potential pressures on fragile environments.