Gonson C. auteur aut IRD Pelletier D. auteur aut IRD Alban F. auteur aut IRD Giraud-Carrier C. auteur aut IRD Ferraris Jocelyne auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Coastal populations and tourism are growing worldwide. Consequently outdoor recreational activity is increasing and diversifying. While Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are valuable for mitigating anthropogenic impacts, recreational uses are rarely monitored and studied, resulting in a lack of knowledge on users' practices, motivation and impacts. Based on boat counts and interview data collected in New Caledonia, we i) explored factors affecting user practices and motivations, ii) constructed fine-scale pressure indices covering activities and associated behaviors, and iii) assessed the relationships between user practices and site selection. User practices were found to depend on protection status, boat type and user characteristics. Pressure indices were higher within no-take MPAs, except for fishing. We found significant relationships between user practices and settings characteristics. In the context of increasing recreational uses, these results highlight options for managing such uses through settings management without jeopardizing the social acceptance of MPAs or the attainment of conservation goals. specialized Marine protected areas Recreational users Pressure assessment Motivation Recreational opportunity spectrum New-Caledonia NOUVELLE CALEDONIE 036 082 200 170-185 2017 0301-4797 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010070837 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.05.051 0301-4797 [F B010070837] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010070837 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2017/08/010070837.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2017-09-05 2023-07-11 fdi:010070837 fre