Taylor V. Stein

Place attachment as a mediator of the relationship between nature-based recreation benefits and future visit intentions

This study examined the theoretical relationships between consumers’ perceived benefits, place attachment and future visit intentions (FVI) at nature-based recreation and tourism areas, utilizing importance and performance concepts. The desired benefits and perceived attained benefits of consumers were treated as an antecedent to place attachment and FVI in structural models. Results of two separate structural models tests using responses from 934 visitors at the Ocala National Forest in Florida, USA, confirmed that place attachment fully mediates the relationship between benefits desired and FVI, while place attachment partially mediates the relationship between benefits attained and FVI. The former verifies the significant role of place attachment, and the latter validates the importance of place attachment as well as recreation benefit attainment in predicting visitors’ FVI. These findings suggest that both benefits desired and benefits attained are important predictors of place attachment and behavioral intentions. Accordingly, tourism and recreation planners and managers need to provide visitors with recreation opportunities, which maximize visitors’ ability to attain recreation benefits, such as nature exploration, physical fitness and escape. These managerial initiatives would result in increasing visitors’ emotional attachments and intentions to revisit.

Understanding Relationships Among Recreation Opportunities: A Meta-Analysis of Nine Studies

Outdoor recreation providers intuitively know that visitors engage in particular activities in desired outdoor settings to attain beneficial experiences. There is a lack of understanding among managers and researchers, however, about the relationships that exist between these recreation opportunities. What are the salient inputs (activities and/or settings) that contribute to the production of certain outputs (benefit opportunities)? How does the magnitude of activity and setting effects compare to each other and vary across benefit items? To gain a better understanding of recreation opportunities and their relationships, data from nine benefits-based management pilot-studies were collected, analyzed, and combined using meta-analytic techniques. Two-way analysis of variance was used to test the dependency of twelve benefit attainment items on setting and activity type in each study. Meta-analysis techniques were used to calculate two types of results that were derived from the two-way analysis of variance tests. (1) Fishers inverse chi-square method was used to combine the significance levels derived from ‘F’ statistics; and, (2) the ‘F’ statistic associated with each two-way analysis of variance test was converted into a common metric called an effect size (r) and an average effect size was calculated for each input/output relationship. Six of the twelve benefits examined were significantly affected by a recreational input, particularly activity type. These findings strengthen the argument that not all outcomes require certain types of activity and setting inputs. For a more robust comparison of the benefits, the twelve benefits were categorized based on the type of recreational input affecting them. By focusing on inputs of the production process when categorizing benefits, this research provides a more detailed breakdown of benefits. Suggestions for recreation management and future research are presented in light of these findings.

Achieving bat conservation through tourism.

Bats are beneficial to ecosystems around the world, and are often keystone species. However, bat populations are declining worldwide and conservation efforts are needed to conserve bat species throughout the world. Worldwide, superstitions and fear of bats prevail and prolong negative attitudes and human hostility toward most bat species. In the case of other species (e.g. wolves and alligators), tourism efforts have led to improving attitudes and species viability. These examples suggest that bat tourism has a potential to conserve bat populations while providing social and economic benefits to local people in host communities. This article adopts an existing definition of non-consumptive wildlife-oriented recreation to frame the issues, summarises the ecological importance of bat species, provides an overview of the existing bat–human relationship, and adopts guidance from existing wildlife tourism initiatives. Information based on studies of wildlife tourists seeking other species is presented, as are examples of bat conservation initiatives based on tourism to change attitudes toward bats while stressing awareness of both potential negative impacts on bat species and economic benefits for local communities. Several existing examples of destinations which are attracting tourists to view bats, are discussed.

Combining benefits-based management with ecosystem management for landscape planning: Leech Lake watershed, Minnesota

Abstract As more people move to rural areas, incorporating the diverse values they hold for the landscape becomes a greater challenge for landscape planners and managers. This study attempts to develop a better understanding of rural residents’ landscape values within an ecosystem and benefits-management context. Using a two-phase approach, researchers first conducted three focus/nominal group meetings to identify valued ecological features in the Leech Lake watershed (LLW) of northern Minnesota, benefits they attain from the watershed, and changes they would like to see to the planning and management of the region. Next researchers purposely sampled LLW stakeholders to measure their attitudes and values for the role of nature in their community, valued ecological features, potential landscape benefits, and potential planning and management changes. Results show stakeholders value the natural ecosystem and experiential benefits associated with nature, but they also indicate values directly tied to their community. Future planning of the LLW must focus on sustaining ecosystem-related experiential benefits in an area faced with a growing population. Increased collaboration with locals appears to be the most supported strategy to achieve this difficult goal.

Teaching and Evaluating Critical Thinking in an Environmental Context.

As environmental education strives to create an informed citizenry capable of addressing complex problems, critical thinking is an integral part of this effort. This research guides environmental educators in defining, teaching, and evaluating critical thinking by summarizing a pilot study with an undergraduate forest issues course designed to increase critical thinking skills in students and move them toward responsible environmental citizenship. The course taught critical thinking skills explicitly, correlating each discussion and assignment to the specific critical thinking skills addressed. An essay-based assessment of critical thinking skill, a Likert-scale assessment of critical thinking disposition and qualitative interviews measured critical thinking in students. After the 15-week course, students significantly improved in critical thinking skills (n = 16, p < .05) and skills were correlated with critical thinking dispositions (n = 13, p < .05). Phenomenological analysis of interviews revealed that students engaged in critical thinking in a variety of situations, some with citizenship implications, and struggled with the role of emotion in critical thinking. These experiences informed recommendations for instruction and evaluation strategies.

Examining the Linkages Between Community Benefits, Place-Based Meanings, and Conservation Program Involvement: A Study Within the Community Baboon Sanctuary, Belize

Nature-based tourism and a voluntary, written conservation pledge within the Community Baboon Sanctuary, Belize, are highlighted examples of community-based conservation initiatives. Little is known, however, about perceived benefits of riparian forests (the conservation focus), the function of place attachment as an incentive to conserving forests, or the role the conservation initiatives play in managing community benefits. A survey of 135 residents investigated place-based meanings of riparian forests and the importance and attainment of perceived community and individual benefits attributed to these landscapes. Results show a significant relationship between initiative involvement and higher perceived benefits (importance) and place attachment (meanings) toward riparian forests and conservation. All residents interviewed, however, regardless of initiative involvement, agree that riparian forests are not providing economic benefits. The findings, which expand on place attachment conceptualizations, provide a better understanding of the social outcomes of conservation and will aid future development and conservation planning of these initiatives.

Assessing Nature's Role in Ecotourism Development in Florida: Perspectives of Tourism Professionals and Government Decision-makers

As in many areas throughout the world, nature-based tourism is becoming a more important part of the development of rural communities throughout Florida. This manuscript reports the results of a survey of county tourism professionals and a Delphi study of public land management agency decision-makers in Florida regarding nature-based recreation and tourism. This research was designed to identify how these two groups perceive the role of natural areas as a tourism resource in Florida and how these perceptions help local tourism professionals and land management agencies develop a visionary platform for effective ecotourism planning in Florida. Results show that tourism professionals and public land management agency decision-makers perceive different priorities and visions for ecotourism in Florida. In general, tourism professionals believe nature-based recreation will help provide direct and indirect economic benefits throughout their counties. Ecological benefits and resource management issues were the primary concerns of public land management agency decision-makers. However, both groups expressed interest in involving private industry and local communities more in nature-based tourism planning. Potential areas of collaboration where both groups can achieve their diverse benefits are discussed.

Stakeholder Mapping for Recreation Planning of a Bahamian National Park

This study engaged key stakeholders in developing a recreation management plan for Abaco National Park. Using a stakeholder analysis and participatory mapping exercises, we determined current and desired future land uses of representatives from the tourism industry, hunters, teachers, business leaders, local community members, and environmentalists. Spatial information was analyzed using a geographic information system (GIS) for trends and overlap among recreational activities and between recreation needs and protection of an endangered parrot. Results indicate a diversity of activities occur in the park, each with a distinct spatial distribution. Stakeholder groups had varied priorities for future park uses; however, all groups desired ecotourism and infrastructure development. Overlap existed among recreational uses and between recreation and parrot protection, suggesting the use of spatial and/or temporal zoning to reduce potential conflict. These methods provided valuable data for integrated conservation and recreation planning and should be applicable to other areas lacking social information for planning and management.

Visitor Preferences and Values for Water-Based Recreation: A Case Study of the Ocala National Forest

We used the open-ended contingent valuation method to elicit willingnes to pay (WTP) for day visitors and extended visitors on the Ocala National Forest (ONF), Florida. A Tobit model specification was applied to account for the issues involved with censored WTP bids. The results reveal that visitors would pay more for improved recreational facilities at the ONF. In particular, our estimates show that visitors would pay

Race and wildfire risk perceptions among rural forestland owners in north-central Florida

1 million for basic facilities,