BayCEER Workshop 2024

Digitalization in Outdoor Sports - Problem or Potential?

O 5.3 in Perspectives on agriculture

11.10.2024, 11:55-12:10, H 36

The rise of digital platforms in outdoor sports has transformed how people explore and engage with nature. Apps and online platforms now offer detailed routes, real-time tracking, and user-generated content that make outdoor adventures more accessible and personalized than ever. However, this digitalization also presents challenges. Managers of protected areas state that digital media leads off trail movement and visitors in sensitive areas (Mangold et al., 2024). Some shared tours on these platforms also fail to comply with protected areas, leading others to unintentional disrupt wildlife.

Yet, these same platforms hold immense potential to foster greater environmental awareness as the majority of people use digital information sources while planing (86%) or navigating (73%) their activity (Schwietering et al., 2023, 2024). By integrating conservation information digital outdoor platforms could inform users during the planning phase, while navigating, and after the tour when sharing information.

This talk will explore both sides of the issue and how the potential for nature conservation can be fully realized.

Literature

Mangold, M., Schwietering, A., Zink, J., Steinbauer, M. J., & Heurich, M. (2024). The digitalization of outdoor recreation: Global perspectives on the opportunities and challenges for protected area management. Journal of Environmental Management, 352, 120108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120108

Schwietering, A., Mangold … Steinbauer, M. (2024). Digitale Outdoorplattformen: Potenziale und Herausforderungen für Naturschutz und Aktivitätsmanagement. Natur und Landschafte, 99(08), 384–396. https://doi.org/10.19217/NuL2024-08-03

Schwietering, A., Steinbauer, M., Mangold, M., Sand, M., & Audorff, V. (2023). Digitalization of planning and navigating recreational outdoor activities. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-023-00927-1

Keywords: Outdoor Sport, Recreation, Nature Conservation, Information, Protected Areas, Visitor Management

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