Eco.mont Vol. 5 Nr. 1, pp. 19-26, 2013/06/05
Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management
Visitors to conservation areas rarely expect to hear engine noise while hiking throughpristine natural surroundings. Rather, they expect the absence of human inducedemissions and therefore react sensitively to unnatural noise. Many visitors of theSwiss National Park – our case study area – are disturbed by noise emissions of motorcyclesdriving over the Ofenpass, a road that runs right through the park. Some ofthem are calling for a reduction of this noise or even for a ban of motorcycles on theOfenpass road. Motorcyclists, however, are also spending money in the region andcontribute to the economic livelihood of its inhabitants. The article focuses on motorcyclistsand their perception of the park and the noise they are producing. In-depthinformation about this special practice in the park region was gathered through atriangulation between qualitative interviews, quantitative questionnaires and participantobservation. The results show that motorcyclists are a heterogeneous group oftourists, who fulfil their driving passion and lust for travel through their hobby. Themajority of them are aware of the noise problem and other emissions they produceand demonstrate an understanding for potential measures to reduce noise. The articleconcludes with recommendations for mitigating problems related to motorcyclingand noise emissions in protected areas.
