Why is carrying capacity important?
Carrying capacity as it pertains to a wilderness experience limits the amount, kind and distribution of use that can occur without leading to unacceptable impacts to the physical-biological resource. (Stankey 1990) Physical carrying capacity is the amount and type of visitor use an area can sustain over a specified period of time without causing unacceptable change to the quality of the biophysical environment (soil compaction, erosion, water pollution, and destruction of vegetation). Social carrying capacity is the amount and type of visitor use an area can sustain over a specified period of time without causing unacceptable change to the quality of the visitor experience.
