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Visitor management policy of national parks, national wildlife areas and refuges in Canada and the united states: A policy analysis of public documents

Abstract The published visitor management policies of national parks, national wildlife areas and refuges in Canada and the United States are important components of the overall management system. This paper analyses how the visitor management policies that apply to all units operated by each agency compare to each other and compare to an ideal framework, using data from publicly‐available sources. Analysis was undertaken by policy comparison of all publicly‐available documents available in the Canadian inter‐university library system and the internet. The quantity and quality of visitor management policy is higher with higher funding levels, as demonstrated by the US National Park Service at the high end of the spectrum, and the Canadian Wildlife Service at the low end. The US National Park Service has the most comprehensive visitor management policy, and this policy is well coordinated in one overall document. The Canadian Wildlife Service has a very weak visitor management policy structure that lacks even basic goals for visitor management. Some visitor policy gaps exist for each agency. All agencies lack explicit policies governing visitor length of stay, human resources required for visitor management and economic impact measurement. This is the first policy analysis of this type undertaken. It provides a basis for the revision and improvement of these policies in the future.