The extent of the land base will determine how many visitors can be spread out so that some can find true solitude while others can enjoy more gregarious situations. For example, larger areas can allow potentially conflicting activities to be zoned in space: a large lake can be zoned so that dinghy sailors and speed – boats are kept separate, while each type of user has enough room to maximize the experience of the visit. Larger areas also mean more scope to move activities from place to place if wear and tear shows signs of getting serious, or if there is conflict with other land uses. In a managed forest, logging will move from place to place, and may have to disrupt the use of an area for certain recreation activities, such as orienteering, for a number of years. Larger areas also enable use to be dispersed instead of concentrated, so that the pressure of wear and tear can be spread out and reduced. This has implications for design, depending on what facilities are needed and how much recreation is amenable to dispersal. Also, the management and maintenance implications of shifting and dispersed use as well as the logistics needed should be assessed.
The existing land base might be used for some recreation already. Proposed new developments might not be compatible with either the existing land use or recreation activity unless there is space to alter one or both and achieve a compromise.
