Glen T. Hvenegaard

Ecotourism versus tourism in a Thai national park

Abstract Although considered distinct, ecotourists have been compared rarely with other tourist types at the same site and time. Moreover, ecotourism definitions imply support for conservation. This study differentiates ecotourists from other tourist types, and compares their financial support for conservation, sociodemographic characteristics, and recreation substitutability for nature trek activities. Based on a questionnaire survey of 857 respondents at Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand, five main tourist types were identified. Ecotourists contributed more to conservation than other types, but primarily in their home countries. They were older and more educated than other tourist types. Substitutability did not differ among different types.

Using Tourist Typologies for Ecotourism Research

Research to identify ecotourists or segment ecotourists from other tourist types has not occurred in a consistent manner, reducing potential comparability to studies at other times and places. Ecotourists have been identified using a variety of techniques, broadly categorised as tourist typologies that are cognitive-normative and interactional. This paper tests the level of congruency among four versions of these tourist typologies (ie. researcher-based, respondent-based, activity-based, and motivation-based), using a case study from a national park in northern Thailand. Based on the considerable consistency found, several pragmatic conclusions are presented.

Perceived learning, critical elements and lasting impacts on university-based wilderness educational expeditions

This study examined participants’ perceptions of learning, critical elements, and lasting impacts of their wilderness expeditions. Fifty-seven students, who completed a for-credit wilderness canoe expedition between 1993 and 2007 at the Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, participated in the investigation. Perceived learning most commonly related to nature and place appreciation, outdoor skills, group living, and self-awareness. Critical elements for learning were the experiential approach, group living, and nature and place immersion. In terms of lasting impacts of the expedition, perceived learning had changed since the expedition for 88% of students, especially in the areas of self-awareness, group living, and greater appreciation of the experience, due to reflection and the passage of time. Furthermore, the expedition had a lasting impact on students’ personal and professional lives, especially related to life experience, nature appreciation, confidence, and skill development. The findings support the notion that wilderness educational expeditions can provide significant and long-lasting learning (uniquely in the area of nature and place appreciation). Finally, because of the nature of educational expeditions, they lend themselves to the implementation of sound experiential pedagogical practices that promote active, engaged, and relevant learning.

Seasonal Occurrence and Abundance of Shorebirds at Atalaia Nova Beach in Sergipe State, Brazil

Abstract Many Neartic shorebirds migrate to South America for the non-breeding season, and use several key stopover and wintering sites along the Atlantic coast. However, there is little information about annual shorebird use along the northeast coast of Brazil. This year-long study examined the seasonal occurrence and abundance of shorebirds at Atalaia Nova beach in Sergipe State, Brazil. Of the 13 species recorded, the most abundant were Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus), Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla), and Sanderlings (Calidris alba). Highest numbers occurred between September and March, and the lowest numbers occurred between April and August. Some species were present throughout the year. Atalaia Nova beach is an important migration stopover and wintering site for shorebirds in northeastern Brazil.

A comparative approach to analyzing local expenditures and visitor profiles of two wildlife festivals.

Wildlife festivals are growing in popularity and warrant additional studies of festival visitors. However, comparisons of visitor demographics, motivations, activities, and local expenditure patterns between festivals are difficult because different methods of measurement are used. By using a comparative approach, this study evaluates, with the same methods, the visitor characteristics of two similar wildlife festivals in Western Canada. While providing site-specific context, this study notes variations in total local expenditure patterns, visitor motivations, and visitor activities that result from, in part, different visitor demographics, activities offered, other attractions, and rates of overnight stays. Visitors to these festivals were slightly older age and had high educational levels than the general public, which was consistent with visitors to other wildlife festivals and ecotourists in general.

Policy and management recommendations informed by the health benefits of visitor experiences in Alberta's protected areas.

Executive Summary: Leisure in parks and other forms of protected areas are connected to an individual’s health and well-being. In this paper, we report on the results of a multi-year study that surveyed 1,515 visitors to three Provincial Parks and three Kananaskis Country Provincial Recreation Areas in Alberta, Canada. Results revealed several important findings with significant policy and planning implications for Alberta Parks, as well as the international parks and protected area community more broadly. Findings show that anticipated human health and well-being benefits were a major factor motivating individuals’ decision to visit a park or protected area. Perceived psychological/emotional benefits (89.1% of visitors), social benefits (88.3%), physical benefits (80.3%) and environmental well-being benefits (79.4%) were deemed the most important motivations. However, there was a negative correlation between age and each of these perceived benefits, indicating that older visitors were less motivated to visit protected areas for these reasons. Perceived benefits (outcomes) followed a similar pattern to motivations. The most improved factors were psychological/emotional (90.5%), social (85%), and physical well-being (77.6%). A demographic analysis revealed that females rated financial, social, psychological/emotional and spiritual well-being motivations higher than males. Income and education were also positively related to individuals’ ratings of physical, psychological and environmental well-being. Interestingly, health motivations and benefits (or outcomes) were correlated highly with nature relatedness, meaning the more connected one is to nature, the greater the motivation to visit parks and the greater the health and well-being benefits received from park experiences. Overall, this study represents the largest examination of the human health and well-being benefits associated with visitor experiences in a Canadian protected areas context. The results substantiate the need for park organizations to better understand the “service provider” – “client” relationship from a human health and well-being perspective so that integrated policies and visitor experience programs can be developed or enhanced where appropriate. The Alberta Parks Division, and the international protected areas community more broadly, should actively develop the social science foundation internally, and externally (through partnerships with the social science research community), to ensure that decisions are science-based, society-oriented, and effective at meeting both conservation and visitor experience objectives. Finally, our research indicates the need for a better empirical understanding of the human health and well-being motivations and benefits of visitors representing different social and population subgroups (e.g., youth, elderly, couples, family units, new immigrants) and of the role of distinct natural environments in health promotion.

Potential conservation benefits of wildlife festivals

Wildlife festivals promote a variety of social, educational, economic, recreational, and community development goals. As ecotourism activities, wildlife festivals should also promote conservation goals. This article examines five potential conservation benefits of wildlife festivals which can be generated by providing: 1) incentives to establish protected areas; 2) revenue for wildlife and habitat management; 3) economic impact to nearby areas, encouraging residents to conserve wildlife; 4) alternatives to other uses that cause more environmental damage; and 5) support for conservation by educating local and nonlocal participants. The discussion includes wildlife festival examples, along with research and management needs.

Introduction: Relationships Between Protected Areas and Sustainable Forest Management: Where are We Heading?

The relationship between protected areas and forest management has been one that has often been fraught with conflict. New practices in the forest sector and new ecological insights have led more recently to better co-operation in some regions, although it is debatable to what extent cooperative approaches are desirable. In this introduction to the special section on the relationships between protected areas and sustainable forest management, we outline the history of the forestry and protected areas sectors in Canada, and the evolution of the relationships between them. We define key terms for the debate and offer a novel framework for understanding the relationship between the two sectors as management regimes that occur along parallel continua of sustainability. This framework is contrasted against real-world findings from across Canada, and with examples from elsewhere in the world.

“The End of the Ice Age?”: Disappearing World Heritage and the Climate Change Communication Imperative

ABSTRACT Rapid environmental change in vulnerable destinations has stimulated a new form of travel termed “last chance tourism” (LCT). Studies have examined the risks of LCT, while leaving potential opportunities within this new tourism market largely underexplored. Results of survey (n = 399) research in Jasper National Park, Canada reveal that a LCT motivation influences decisions to visit this iconic Canadian destination, and suggest that this motivation is linked to a desire to learn about the impacts of climate change on the Athabasca Glacier. Findings suggest there may be short to medium term opportunities associated with LCT, including promoting climate change ambassadorship through management interventions. This paper discusses a range of possible education, interpretive, and outreach activities that might be employed at LCT destinations. It outlines the relative merits (or what we refer to as “uneasy benefits”) of promoting the glacier and other LCT destinations within a protected areas management and climate change adaptation context.