30 Robert C. Burns, is an associate professor in the Division of Forestry at West Virginia Uni- versity. Arne Arnberger is an associate professor in the Institute of Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning, Department of Landscape, Spatial, and Infrastructure Sciences, at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna. Eick von Ruschkowski is a research associate at the Institut für Umweltplanung (IUP), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität, Hannover, Germany. Address all correspondence to Robert C. Burns, West Virginia University, 6125 Percival Hall, Morgantown, WV 26506-6125; e-mail: robert.burns@mail.wvu.edu. The U.S. monitoring effort was supported by the U.S. Forest Service, Region 6 (Oregon– Washington. The Austrian research was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): 18158-G05. The German research effort was partially funded by the Deutsche Bundesstif- tung Umwelt (DBU). International Journal of Sociology, vol. 40, no. 3, Fall 2010, pp. 30–50. © 2010M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 0020–7659/2010 $9.50 + 0.00. DOI 10.2753/IJS0020-7659400302 ROBERT C. BURNS, ARNE ARNBERGER, AND EICK VON RUSCHKOWSKI Social Carrying Capacity Challenges in Parks, Forests, and Protected Areas An Examination of Transatlantic Methodologies and Practices Abstract: Visitor-induced impacts and resource degradation are common concerns for park and protected areas resource managers worldwide. Managing such issues requires information about general visitation, social impacts, and social carry- ing capacities. This article uses three case studies from Austria, Germany, and the United States to illustrate social carrying capacity methods and variables. The areas investigated are the heavily used Danube Floodplains National Park in Austria (n = 373), the Harz National Park in Germany (mainly qualitative studies), and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in the United States (n = 337). Differences and commonalities between these studies were found. The European approach relies heavily upon visitor monitoring, although the notion of crowding is often neglected. This cross-cultural study develops recommendations for potential 02 Burns.indd 30 7/21/2010 8:14:17 AM