Conflicts and Solutions

Question 1

Why do farmers and tourists come into conflict

Answer 1

• Tourists can be very noisy and disturb the livestock. Dogs can stress out pregnant ewes which causes them to miscarry. When dogs are let off lead they can kill lamb and sheep
• Tourists drop litter which livestock will consume. This can cause the animals serious health problems
• Tourists walk on farmers land. They can walk on fragile areas which are prone to erosion
• Tourists erode dry stone walls and boundary fences. This allows livestock to escape.
• Tourists leave gates open. This allows livestock to escape. This is dangerous as they can get onto roads

Question 2

Why are tourists and conservationists in conflict

Answer 2

• Tourists erod existing footpaths and create tracks on hills. These are unsightly and are damaging to the environment. This is particularly obvious on Helvellyn and Scafell Pike
• Water sports badly erode the sides of Lake Windermere
• Tourists can be loud and disturb wildlife. For example Grizedale Forest is home to red squirrels that can be disturbed by the large quantities of visitors in the site
• Many tourists will arrive in the national park in cars. These pollute the atmosphere

Question 3

Why are Tourists and Quarry owners in conflict

Answer 3

• Quarry looks unsightly on the landscape
• The noise of heavy machinery and blasting can destroy the peace and tranquility that many people are seeking when they visit the Lake District

Question 4

Why do Tourists get in conflict with one another

Answer 4

• Some tourists visit the Lake District for the peace and quiet. They can be disturbed by other tourists who are doing noisy activities such as mountain biking

Question 5

Why do Tourists come into conflict with the Locals

Answer 5

• Large numbers of tourists arrive at the Lake District by car. This can cause road congestion and access problems for local people trying to go about their day to day business.
• The towns of Windermere and Ambleside suffer from severe road congestion in the summer months.
• Tourists can be loud when leaving attractions such as pubs this disrupts the locals
• An increase in second-home ownership results in the closure of local services as they are only used occasionally. This is annoying for the locals as they have to travel to get to shops and other services.
• It is estimated 17.68% of houses in the Lake District are second homes and in the village of Coniston 51% of houses are second homes

Question 6

How is road congestion solved

Answer 6

-Tourists are encouraged to take part in the park and ride scheme like the one on the edge of Bowness- on - Windermere. Tourists park their cars on the edges of town and then take either a bus or walk. This reduces the amount of cars on the roads.

• The National Park also encourages tourists to take public transport especially during the summer months as that is when they have the most tourists

Question 7

How are the conflicts between Tourists and Farmers solved

Answer 7

• Information boards in visitor centres and popular tourist areas in the Lake District. Their purpose is to educate tourists on how to behave on farmland
• This has reduced the amount of erosion on farmland as tourists now know where and when they can walk on the farmers land
• It has also reduced the amount of litter dropped
• Farmers have been given grants to instal kissing gates and stiles. These still allow access into fields without damaging the fences
• They can also install self-closing gates. So if tourists forget to shut gates they will still close

Question 8

How have they solved the conflict of Lake Windermere being eroded

Answer 8

• The national Park introduced a 10mph speed limit in 2004 to reduce the erosion of the lake banks

Question 9

What solutions are their to Footpath and Soil erosion

Answer 9

• Footpath mainteneae has reduce the erosion in many popular walking areas
  – Pitching is used. This involves digging large stones into the ground presenting only the flat surface. Again this presents a more durable path surface

Question 10

Why do Farmers and Conservationists come into conflict

Answer 10

• Modern farm machinery can erode the soil. Tractors and combine harvesters cause a lot of damage
• Farmers will use chemicals such as pesticides and fertilisers. These are harmful as pesticides are very poisonous and can kill wildlife on the land and in rivers, lakes and the sea. Fertilisers can pollute rivers and the sea

Question 11

How can Farming conflicts be resolved

Answer 11

• Farmers are given grants and subsidies from the government and E.U. to return to traditional farming methods
• Farmers are being asked to open up their land under schemes such as CRoW. Under this scheme tourists are allowed access to farmers land. However restraints are put in place at certain times in the year for example lambing season

Question 12

Why do farmers get into conflict with tourists

Answer 12

• Tourists want access to farmers land. But farmers will often deny this as tourists will often erode land and drop litter which is harmful to livestock
• Tourists get annoyed by this as they want to access scenic areas