National Parks
A (national) park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a (national) government, protected from most human development and pollution. National parks are usually located in places which have been largely undeveloped, and often feature areas with exceptional native animals, plants and ecosystems (particularly endangered examples of such) or geological features.
Most national parks continuously work on maintaining the balance between protecting nature (and offering refuge for wildlife) and making it accessible to the general public to explore (as a popular tourist area). Managing the potential for conflict between these two roles can become problematic, particularly as tourists often generate revenue for the parks which, in turn, are spent on conservation projects.
Currently the personal car is the primary transit mode for exploration of national parks. Its’ detrimental effects (noise and air pollution) and the sheer number of cars negatively impact both goals of the national parks: contaminating nature and decreasing the quality of the park experience. Environmentally friendly means of transportation are required to keep the parks pristine and ensure an unspoiled environment (both for nature itself as well as its’ visitors).
Several parks now feature tours by tram or bus to make nature accessible while protecting its’ natural values – in some parks key areas are not accessible by cars. To minimize the impact of transit systems on nature there appears to be a preference for road based systems using a light infrastructure – typically of a group nature to reduce traffic numbers and the threat over overcrowding.
Automated people movers could further enhance the visit quality – ensuring all passengers can enjoy (viewing) nature while traveling, customizing routes based on the passengers’ interests and wildlife spottings and providing detailed information on flora and fauna. However, parks likely do not feature APM yet for several reasons: costs, (heavy) infrastructure required (rail), wildlife accidents and lack of suitable technologies.
Electronically guided people mover systems are road-based, can operate on the existing infrastructure and are equipped with sensors to avoid wildlife accidents. This new generation of people movers allows national parks to approach their accessibility differently, providing park management a new tool to balance nature’s conservation and exploration for all groups.
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