Tracing impacts: vegetation changes and environmental awareness along recreational trails in Portugal

Protected areas are central to biodiversity conservation but also provide spaces for recreation. Recreational trails illustrate this dual role: while they enable safe access and outdoor experiences, they may also degrade vegetation communities, especially when informal trails emerge. Yet, the interplay between trail ecological impacts and visitor awareness remains poorly understood. We investigated this relationship in Parque Natural das Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, Portugal. We combined vegetation surveys along formal and informal trails with visitor interviews to assess (i) how plant community structure and traits vary with trail type and distance, and (ii) how visitors perceive and use trails and local flora. Vegetation analyses revealed variations of height with distance to trails, with nitrophilous, grazing- and disturbance-tolerant species more frequent along formal routes. Visitor surveys revealed that most people distinguished trail types, preferring formal trails for safety and signage, while informal paths were occasionally chosen for novelty, challenge, or familiarity. Perceived vegetation impacts were rated as low for formal trails and uncertain for informal trails. However, their botanical knowledge was limited: with many misclassifying conspicuous exotics as natives, while natives were rarely recognized. Policy implications These findings highlight a mismatch between ecological impacts and visitor perceptions. To reconcile recreation and conservation, Protected Areas’ management should combine ecological monitoring with stronger visitor engagement, using signage, interpretation, and participatory initiatives to raise awareness of trail impacts and local flora. Strengthening formal trail networks while discouraging informal routes can protect biodiversity and enhance visitor experiences, contributing to more sustainable nature-based tourism.