Abstract:
Purpose: Recreation sites and parks are exposed to degradation unless stringent conservation
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measures are undertaken. Recreational activities undertaken by visitors such as; camping, hiking
and climbing, game driving, bird watching, bicycling, mountain biking, game viewing, and
picnicking among others put huge pressure on the parks resources. The aim of the study is to
determine the recreation activities that have the greatest negative environmental impact on
environmental resource attributes in national parks of central Kenya.
Methodology: The descriptive survey research design was used. The study was conducted in the
two designated national parks in Central Kenya region: Mt. Kenya and Aberdares. Stratified
random sampling was used to ensure that the KWS and KFS officers in managerial, tour guide,
maintenance, and security levels were represented.
Results: Two hundred and sixty three 263(79.9%) responded to the questionnaires by
completely filling and returning them. Descriptive statistics that included frequencies and
percentages were used to organize and summarize the data. Tables and bar charts were drawn to
present the collected data. Independent Sample T-test was conducted to compare the mean of the
visitors and staff on the perceived effect of recreation activities on environmental resource
attributes. It is only on soil where the two groups were found to be significantly different (
(visitors) =2.14, staff) =1.50, t=6.06, df =233, p<0.001).
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study therefore concluded that parks
environmental resource attributes are negatively affected by recreation activities in the national
parks in the Central Kenya region. Through monitoring of conditions, managers will be able to
more clearly identify when specific impacts have become so pronounced as to demand
management attention.
