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Employees in the outdoor recreation sector account for 3.2% of the U.S. workforce, contributing to over $1.1T in national economic output. As awareness of the sector’s economic strength has grown, interest in promoting outdoor recreation careers has expanded. Research on outdoor recreation careers has not kept pace with workforce development initiatives, however, and existing data and research reports provide only aggregate figures that neither reflect the new employment landscape nor track how careers are navigated by the people who occupy them. This article reports on an interview study of 15 established outdoor recreation professionals in executive or management positions to gain insights into career trajectories in outdoor recreation. Their narrative responses were assessed using the Psychology of Working Theory, a career counseling framework organized around the concept of decent work. Findings are presented along with points for outdoor recreation career advocates to consider in future research and workforce development initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree volume is a characteristic used in many cases, such as determining fertility, habitat quality, growth size, allowable harvesting, and the principles of forest trade. It is imperative to develop methods that predict forest stand volume to obtain this extensive information quickly and cost-effectively. This study used supervised self-organising map (SSOM), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), and radial basis function (RBF) neural networks to predict forest stand volume based on physiography, topography, soil, and human factors. A sensitivity analysis method called the importance of prediction was used to determine how input variables influenced network output. First, the map of homogeneous units was prepared with ArcMap (Version 10.3.1, 2015) by combining digital layers to measure the tree's volume per hectare. Then, separate tree species in different diameter classes were measured in a circular grid of 200 m x 150 m, 0.1 ha of coverage, 3.3% sampling intensity, and a diameter at breast height (DBH) greater than 7.5 cm using systematic sampling on a homogeneous unit map in a regular random method. The neural network modelling results showed that SSOM, MLP, and RBF predicted forest stand volume most accurately according to physiography, topography, soil, and human factors. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis results found that altitude above sea level, soil depth, and slope are the most influential input variables. In contrast, soil texture variables are the least effective at predicting forest stand volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maros-Pangkep karst formation in South Sulawesi is one of the largest karst environments in the world. One of the caves located in the area is Leang Londrong, which is a part of the management of Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park. The Leang Londrong area is known as a tourism spot with waterbased tourism as the main attraction and it is also known as the main ecosystem service provider, in particular, as water sources for many areas. This cave is inhabited by some species of bats. Eventhough the area is now designated for water-based tourism, other potential tourism objects, such as bats roosting inside the cave, has not been explored for tourism development. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of the local community and visitors visiting the area towards nature, caves, bats and its conservation, as well as bat-cave tourism development. The study was conducted in January–April 2022 by distributing questionnaires to 86 respondents consisted of the local community, visitors, and government representatives. The results indicated that in general, the respondents had limited knowledge of nature, caves, bats, and their conservation. In particular with bats, the majority of the respondents had not yet been familiar with bats, understood the roles of bats in the environment, and tended to ignore the existence of bats. However, in relation to nature and conservation, bat conservation, and the development of cave and bat tourism in Leang Londrong, most of visitor respondents agreed to support (>85%) and for the locals, the number was even higher (>90%). Therefore, such support from the locals and visitors could make bat-cave conservation through tourism development in Leang Londrong possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of recreationists' environmentally responsible behavior (RERB) to the sustainability of the scenic spots, this study uses person-environment fit as the theoretical basis and place attachment and novel experience as mediating variables to explore the mechanism of recreationist-environment fit (RE-fit) on RERB. This study's main objective is to investigate RERB enablers in scenic spots; therefore, data from 588 recreationists of Mount Huang scenic spot were collected using a questionnaire. The results of this study, through structural equation modeling, showed that both place attachment and novel experience had a significant positive effect on RERB; however, novel experience had a greater effect on RERB compared to place attachment. Moreover, the analysis also found that RE-fit mediated the effect of RERB through place attachment and novel experience. This study examined the antecedents that influenced RERB in scenic spots and provided theoretical implications for the environmental management of scenic spots from the perspective of RERB. This study provided practical implications for the construction of recreationists' place attachment and novel experience in scenic spots. This research recommends that recreational site providers should offer their recreationists sustainable and environmentally friendly experiences, activities, and interpretations to enhance their attitudes and recreational environmentally responsible behavior. This will reduce the ecological impacts produced by recreationists at various recreational locations, hence, promoting sustainable tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the perspective of combining informal and formal systems, this paper empirically explores the impact of neighborhood effects and policy interventions on the deviation of farmers' willingness and behavior of domestic waste separation (DWS) by using data from the China Land Economy Survey (CLES) and constructing a probit model. It should be explained that the neighborhood effect in this paper refers to the fact that the behavior of farmers is highly susceptible to the behavior of their neighbors in the process of production and living. The results of the study show that neighborhood effects and policy interventions have a significant negative impact on the deviation of farmers' willingness and behavior of DWS, respectively. Comparison of marginal effects shows that neighborhood effects > environmental advocacy > reward and punishment policies. From the interaction effects as a whole, neighborhood effects and policy interventions have complementary effects on the deviation of farmers' willingness and behavior of DWS, with the complementary effects of neighborhood effects and environmental advocacy being more significant. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that neighborhood effects completely replace the inhibitory effect of policy interventions on the deviation of high-income farmers' willingness and behavior of DWS, but have no effect on political elite farmers. The interaction between neighborhood effects and policy interventions has complementary effects on low-income farmers and ordinary farmers, with the complementary effects of neighborhood effects and environmental advocacy being more significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor recreation is an essential way many people engage with nature. The provision of public spaces for recreation intersects with conservation practices motivated by intertwined social and ecological values, such as strict practices associated with the concept of 'wilderness'. Debates persist about how such concepts and management practices influence people's recreation experiences.Many US public land management agencies facilitate opportunities for outdoor recreation, relying on management frameworks and tools intended to foster specific experiential qualities. But these frameworks and tools assume simplistic relationships between settings and people's experiences, and managers rarely assess these relationships.This study uses a data set of nearly 70,000 crowdsourced trip reports from a hiking website to understand the qualities of visitors' experiences on trails. We study the geographic distribution of experiential qualities commonly associated with US wilderness areas: aesthetics, awe, challenge, pristineness, quietness, solitude and timelessness. Using analytical methods that rely on machine learning and natural language processing, we identify these experiential qualities in trip reports from hundreds of routes, and use generalized linear models to analyse relationships between the frequency of each experiential quality and the route's administrative, built, biophysical, geographic and social settings.We find that four of the seven experiential qualities (aesthetics, awe, challenge and solitude) are commonly described in trip reports, each appearing in 15%–55% of manually coded reports. The extent to which setting characteristics explained variability in experiences differed, ranging from 34% of the variability in the proportion of trip reports describing aesthetics to 55% for awe. The setting characteristics associated with each experiential quality also differed, with characteristics such as trail mileage and summit destinations having stronger influences on experiential qualities than characteristics such as wilderness designation.Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest the need to consider more diverse variables in experience–setting relationships, develop more robust models to characterize those relationships and create new data sources to represent understudied variables. These advances would help empirically inform and improve frameworks and tools used for recreation and wilderness planning and monitoring, and potentially promote more responsive management to evolving social–ecological values. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the effects of forest travel activities on university students’ stress affection. Forty volunteer university students participated in this study. All participants were asked to complete physiological (Heart Rate Variability) and psychological (Brief Profile of Mood State and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory) tests before and after the travel activities. The results reported that students’ heart rates were significantly lower after the forest travel activities than before. All domains of negative mood and anxiety decreased from the pretest to the post-test. This study found that university students could feel less stressed if they went on forest travel activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of JFMR - Journal of Fisheries & Marine Research is the property of Brawijaya University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The research aimed to determine the actual distribution of visits in suburban forests in the temperate climate zone, using the Rzeszów metropolitan area as an example. The study also examined whether there is a correlation between the number of visitors to the forests and weather conditions: average daily air temperature, total daily precipitation, and the maximum sustained wind speed within a day. The distribution of visits was determined based on a 365- day monitoring of recreational traffic intensity using a sensor in the form of a pyroelectric detector. Weather data for each day of observation were obtained from a meteorological station. An average of 51 daily visitors was recorded (29 on weekdays and 101 on weekends and holidays). Most people visited the forest during the vacations, in August (14.7%) and July (14.1%), and least in winter: in February (2.7%) and December (3.4%). It was observed that the number of visits to the forest increased with the rise in average daily air temperature. In contrast, as the maximum sustained wind speed increased throughout the day, the number of visits decreased. There was no clear correlation between the number of visits and the total daily rainfall, except for weekends and holidays (number of visits decreased with the increase in rainfall). The number of visitors to suburban forests was more influenced by public holidays than weather conditions. Many forest visitors were significantly more frequently observed on holidays and weekends than weekdays. More than half of all visits occurred on weekends. Forests were most frequently visited on Sundays (38.2%). Suburban forests were visited from 5 AM to 10 PM, with shorter weekend hours (from 6 AM to 8 PM). The results obtained in the study can be valuable for managing recreational activities in suburban forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The devastating impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of individuals has led researchers to increasingly consider the importance of people-place interactions as drivers of positive mental health. This study explores people-place relationships with natural areas through the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on subjective well-being and place attachment. The study was conducted in a system of natural areas in the Niagara Region, Ontario. Through completion of self-report questionnaires, natural area users identified changes they observed in the natural areas over the COVID-19 pandemic and reported their self-perceived impact of these changes. Findings emphasize the importance of managing social and ecological changes in natural areas to preserve ecological health and user benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Goods and services that are provided by ecosystems in favorable environmental conditions, for the welfare of humans, are called ecosystem services. Recreational ecosystem service, which is in the category of cultural services, is one of the most valuable services in urban ecosystems, which increases the physical and mental health of the urban residents. Recreational value is defined as the capacity of ecosystems to provide recreational opportunities such as walking, cycling, plant and animal viewing, running and outdoor sports. Due to the importance of ecosystem services, the present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating and quantifying recreational services in Behbahan County. Material and Methods: In this study, a combination of Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 images was used to prepare a land use map for 2021. The image was prepared with the maximum likelihood algorithm in 12 classes. Outdoor recreation was also modeled by the Recreational Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) method. In this model, the final recreation map is classified into 9 classes. This model can be used in almost all surveys of the landscape, and it is a practical process with principles that force managers to justify management from the three perspectives of resource protection, opportunity for public use, and meeting favorable conditions in the region. Results and Discussion: The results of recreational ecosystem service supply in Behbahan County showed that the sixth category (Medium provision - not easily accessible) and the eighth category (High provision - accessible) in the current situation have the highest and lowest land cover, respectively. The places in the northeast of the region have the highest recreational potential due to the location of the Maron Dam and the protected areas of the city. In addition, there are no human activities and aggregation of urban areas in these places. In the center of the region, due to the accumulation of urban areas and the network of roads, the recreational potential is at its lowest. Also, parts of the south and west of the region have relatively favorable recreational potential. The composition of the area cover in these parts includes water areas and dense range. According to the results, recreational opportunities were affected by topography. In the northern landscape, due to the mountainous nature and other natural attractions (water bodies, forests and protected areas), there are more recreational opportunities than in the center and other parts which are located at lower altitudes and are mainly covered by human activities. In addition, places with low population density and far from the city center and roads always show a higher opportunity for recreation. Conclusion: According to the results, understanding the environmental effects of land use change and urban sprawl on recreational ecosystem service may help to achieve cost-effective results in the future. In this regard, policymakers and planners of Behbahan County should focus on improving leisure opportunities in the central, southern, western and southwestern regions. Due to the fact that recreational ecosystem services in Behbahan County are different in different places, thus, this result highlights the importance of using the value of ecosystem services in urban planning and policy priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between the presence of greenery and natural elements in urban green spaces (UGSs), and visitors' attachment, and well-being. Four UGSs in Gaza City were selected based on criteria that ensured representation of various types, sizes, locations, and green features. A survey instrument was designed to assess visitors' perceptions of greenery and natural elements, attachment to UGSs, and well-being. The survey was validated by seven experts in landscape architecture and urban planning. Results show that visitors' perceptions of greenery and natural elements significantly affect their place attachment, happiness, health, and motivation to visit. The provision and maintenance of greenery and natural elements in UGSs should be a priority for urban planners and policymakers to create and maintain green spaces that are beneficial for visitors' well-being. These findings have important implications for urban planning and design in promoting sustainable and healthy urban environments. Further research is needed to investigate the potential causal relationships between visitors' perceptions, and their well-being, and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving these perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the detailed web of factors influencing changes in cultivated areas at the household level is critical for sustainable development in the dynamics of agricultural systems. Households, as basic units within the agricultural framework, are at the center of decision-making processes that have a direct impact on land use patterns. Hence this study estimated the socio-economic and institutional factors that are associated with changes in the area of land under cultivation and associated perceptions. The study was carried out in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, where land cultivation has drastically dropped. A total of 400 respondents were chosen randomly. Estimates of the socio-economic and institutional variables that affect changes in the area under cultivation were made using the Multinomial Logit Regression model. Descriptive results revealed that most respondents reported a decrease in the area of land they had under cultivation and few reported an increase or no change. The results further revealed mixed perceptions regarding any potential increase in the amount of land cultivated. Both negative and positive perceptions were noted. The empirical results indicate that livestock ownership and marital status are associated with a decrease in the amount of land cultivated, while the number of family members and access to extension services are related to an increase in amount of land cultivated. Institutional factors could be leveraged to promote an increase in rural cultivated land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the quality of the built environment to enhance people's mental health is gaining traction across various fields, precipitating valuable actions on the wave of "Healthy China 2030" initiative. While ample studies have confirmed the benefits of interaction with natural or green spaces, the investigation into the restorative potential in urban built settings remains notably underexplored. In this study, we focused on historical districts, conducting a questionnaire survey to evaluate the restorative experiences of individuals visiting these sites. We used Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze a conceptual model that encompasses landscape perception, place attachment, and perceived restoration, with a specific focus on detecting the mediating role of place attachment and the moderating influence of visitor groups. The results showed that landscape perception significantly influenced the perceived restoration, which contained the indirect effect pathway through place dependence and place identity, as well as the potent direct impact of landscape perception. Moreover, employing a multi-group analysis (MGA), we discerned that different visitor groups partially moderate the relationship between landscape perception, place attachment, and perceived restoration. This study validates the restorative features in historic districts and highlights the importance of cognitive-emotional bond in promoting psychological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Indonesian Journal of Forestry Research is the property of Indonesian Journal of Forestry Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aimed to clarify the influence of track and field spectators' motives on place attachment, based on fan community identification. A survey of spectators at the Japan Grand Prix Series Yamaguchi was conducted and data were collected via questionnaire, with 319 samples returned by spectators in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Of those, 148 questionnaires were analyzed, a usable response rate of 83.4%. The measures used were track and field attachment, aesthetics, fan community identification, and place attachment. Structural equation modeling was used for the analysis. The results showed that track and field attachment had a positive effect on fan community identification. In addition, fan community identification positively affected place attachment. This suggests that a sense of unity among fans residing in the host region affects place attachment. While several limitations are acknowledged, this study highlights the need for efforts to enhance fans' sense of belonging during track and field activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended Abstract:Introduction: Today's environmental issues are deeply socialized and consequently, a responsible view of the environment is one of the hallmarks of many societies for moving towards sustainable development. Environmental attitudes are defined as a set of friendly (positive) and unfriendly (negative) feelings towards the environment and related topics. Environmental attitudes are strong predictors of environmental behaviors. Therefore, solving environmental crises depends on changing one’s attitude and perceived value to the environment. Two perspectives can be identified in terms of two paradigms regarding attitudes towards the environment. One view is referred to as the dominant social paradigm and the other is the new environmental paradigm. The new environmental paradigm points to the limitations that must inevitably be placed on human (economic) growth, namely the importance of maintaining a balance between nature and the development of a sustainable economy, or the need to rethink the belief that nature exists solely for the sake of human needs. This paradigm emphasizes the balanced relationship between humans and other species as well as sustainability in the use of natural resources. This paradigm consists of three dimensions, which include ‘growth restriction’, ‘rejecting anthropocentrism’, and accepting the ‘fragility of nature’s balance’. Given the importance of attitudes towards the environment and its role in dealing with nature, the question posed in this study is: which environmental perspective is common among societies? Some experts attribute environmental problems to people and believe that their views on the environment are not appropriate and their indifference to the environment is excessive and unjustifiable. But is this claim true, and is it just for ordinary people? In other words, do natural resource management and conservationists have a good view of the environment? This research was conducted to find the environmental views of forest guard staff in Golestan province. Methodology: This research was conducted using the survey research method. The study population consisted of the Forest Guard staff of the Golestan Province. Using the stratified random sampling method, 264 of them were selected in the counties of Golestan province. Data collection was done in 2018 using a questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire included questions about the demographic and occupational characteristics of staff including age, marital status, work experience, level of education, and place of residence. The second part consisted of 15 items related to the Environmental Attitude Index based on the new environmental paradigm. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by face validity and Cronbach's test, respectively. Discussion: The results of the study showed that the average age of respondents was 40.36 years. They had an average of 14.26 years of work experience. The majority of them (92%) were married. Also, 60.2% of them lived in cities, and the rest in rural areas. The average educational level of the study samples was above the high school diploma. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the structure of Forest Guard staff’s attitudes towards the new environmental paradigm derives from five factors including ecological equilibrium, growth restriction, technology-oriented, optimism about the future, and anthropocentrism, which explained 56.32% of the variance of the dependent variable. Among these factors, ‘growth restriction’ is the first priority and ‘no optimism about the future’ is the last priority. Married participants reject more anthropocentrism than singles, but singles are more skeptical about the future of the environment than married. The attitudes of Forest Guard staff were independent of age, marital status, and place of residence, but with increasing levels of education, their attitude towards the new environmental paradigm became weaker. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the environmental attitude of the study population could be assessed at a relatively appropriate level. However, this attitude was not strong enough. In addition, attitudes towards the new environmental paradigm is a multidimensional phenomenon with five dimensions including ecological equilibrium, growth restriction, technology-oriented, optimism about the future, and anthropocentrism. The dimensions revealed in the present study are consistent with those introduced for the new environmental paradigm in other studies, namely the rejection of human dominance over nature, ecological balance, and limited development. Using re-training and in-service programs to improve the environmental attitudes of Forest Guard staff are suggested. Keywords: Environment, Attitude, Conservation, Natural Resources. References:- Ai-He, H., & Greenberg, S. (2008). Motivating in Sustainable Energy Consumption in the Home. Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary. 5 p.- Albrecht, D., Bultena, G., Hoiberg, E., & Nowak, P. (1982). 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National Trail is an integral component of the system of natural reserves. China's study on the creation of National Trail is scattered and lacks theory and policy at present. Here, the theoretical framework, technical procedure, and construction management of National Trail are examined based on the national conditions of China and the building experience of foreign National Trail. A research framework for National Trail is then established. The research framework encompasses a theoretical framework of policy and related theories, a technical process of analyzing National Trail resource management and public recreation, and construction management, which includes planning and management as well as laws and regulations. This research framework provides a theoretical foundation and policy basis for the future establishment of National Trail as well as general guidance for the planning and design of trails and facilitates the integration of diverse natural space resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adherence to public health messaging recommending physical distancing in public outdoor spaces during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies to promote physical distancing are currently unknown. This study examined the effectiveness of a point-of-decision prompt to increase physical distancing (maintaining at least 6 ft of distance) on greenways and rail-trails using systematic observation with passive infrared cameras. Results indicate that the intervention did not have a significant effect on interacting groups maintaining physical distance. However, groups maintaining physical distance increased from baseline (72%) to post-intervention (79%) and likelihood of maintaining physical distance at baseline and post-intervention was higher when: passing in the opposite direction compared to passing in the same direction; using 12-foot-wide trails compared to 10-foot-wide trails; and only one person was in each group. These results provide important implications for public health and parks and recreation professionals to promote physical distancing on multi-use trails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of ecotourism industry, it has become a common concern in ecotourism industry to utilize the available data to realize the change of ecotourism industry and promote the product development and business expansion of ecotourism industry. To this end, we propose a personalized ecotourism route recommendation (PTIR) algorithm based on the popularity of points of interest (POI) and users' interest preferences. First, we analyze the real historical ecotourism footprints of users, propose a time-based user interest preference, and design a method to calculate the best ecotourism route given the travel time limit, departure point, and end point. Experiments were conducted on a real dataset of the Flickr social networking site, and the results showed that this personalized ecotourism route recommendation algorithm has greatly improved accuracy and recall compared with the traditional algorithm that only considers POI popularity, and the results were visualized through specific experimental cases based on user image clustering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Today's environmental issues are deeply socialized and consequently, a responsible view of the environment is one of the hallmarks of many societies for moving towards sustainable development. Environmental attitudes are defined as a set of friendly (positive) and unfriendly (negative) feelings towards the environment and related topics. Environmental attitudes are strong predictors of environmental behaviors. Therefore, solving environmental crises depends on changing one’s attitude and perceived value to the environment. Two perspectives can be identified in terms of two paradigms regarding attitudes towards the environment. One view is referred to as the dominant social paradigm and the other is the new environmental paradigm. The new environmental paradigm points to the limitations that must inevitably be placed on human (economic) growth, namely the importance of maintaining a balance between nature and the development of a sustainable economy, or the need to rethink the belief that nature exists solely for the sake of human needs. This paradigm emphasizes the balanced relationship between humans and other species as well as sustainability in the use of natural resources. This paradigm consists of three dimensions, which include ‘growth restriction’, ‘rejecting anthropocentrism’, and accepting the ‘fragility of nature’s balance’. Given the importance of attitudes towards the environment and its role in dealing with nature, the question posed in this study is: which environmental perspective is common among societies? Some experts attribute environmental problems to people and believe that their views on the environment are not appropriate and their indifference to the environment is excessive and unjustifiable. But is this claim true, and is it just for ordinary people? In other words, do natural resource management and conservationists have a good view of the environment? This research was conducted to find the environmental views of forest guard staff in Golestan province. Methodology: This research was conducted using the survey research method. The study population consisted of the Forest Guard staff of the Golestan Province. Using the stratified random sampling method, 264 of them were selected in the counties of Golestan province. Data collection was done in 2018 using a questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire included questions about the demographic and occupational characteristics of staff including age, marital status, work experience, level of education, and place of residence. The second part consisted of 15 items related to the Environmental Attitude Index based on the new environmental paradigm. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by face validity and Cronbach's test, respectively. Discussion: The results of the study showed that the average age of respondents was 40.36 years. They had an average of 14.26 years of work experience. The majority of them (92%) were married. Also, 60.2% of them lived in cities, and the rest in rural areas. The average educational level of the study samples was above the high school diploma. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the structure of Forest Guard staff’s attitudes towards the new environmental paradigm derives from five factors including ecological equilibrium, growth restriction, technology-oriented, optimism about the future, and anthropocentrism, which explained 56.32% of the variance of the dependent variable. Among these factors, ‘growth restriction’ is the first priority and ‘no optimism about the future’ is the last priority. Married participants reject more anthropocentrism than singles, but singles are more skeptical about the future of the environment than married. The attitudes of Forest Guard staff were independent of age, marital status, and place of residence, but with increasing levels of education, their attitude towards the new environmental paradigm became weaker. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the environmental attitude of the study population could be assessed at a relatively appropriate level. However, this attitude was not strong enough. In addition, attitudes towards the new environmental paradigm is a multidimensional phenomenon with five dimensions including ecological equilibrium, growth restriction, technologyoriented, optimism about the future, and anthropocentrism. The dimensions revealed in the present study are consistent with those introduced for the new environmental paradigm in other studies, namely the rejection of human dominance over nature, ecological balance, and limited development. Using re-training and in-service programs to improve the environmental attitudes of Forest Guard staff are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Rural Research is the property of Negah Institute for Social Research & Scientific Communication and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This non-experimental quantitative study aimed to determine if high school students' critical thinking (CT) dispositions and environmental attitudes differ by gender, father, and mother's educational background and their CT dispositions are significant predictors of environmental attitudes. UF/EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Instrument and Environmental Attitude Scale were used to collect data in this study carried out with 139 high school students. It was found out that students' CT dispositions did not differ by gender, father, and mother's educational background. Also, while students' environmental attitudes differed by gender in favor of females, they did not differ by mother and father's educational background. Besides, engagement, maturity, and innovativeness were significant predictors of the students' environmental attitudes. A positive relationship was found between students' CT dispositions and environmental attitude scores and engagement, maturity, and innovativeness together explained 31% of the total variance on their environmental attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental Reviews is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bats populations and their habitats are currently threatened globally, but particular declines have been seen across Europe. The contingent valuation method is commonly used to assign an economic value to species conservation through a willingness to pay (WTP) surveys. We carried out face-to-face interviews of a representative to the Greek population sample (n = 1131) and used a multiple-bounded discrete choice approach to estimate WTP for bat conservation. More than half of the Greek population was supportive of bat conservation (54.6%). Mean WTP was estimated at 21.71, and the total amount that could be collected was 105.6 million, after considering the number of taxpayers and the proportion of supportive people. There was an interplay between emotions, with likeability being the most important positive predictor of support, and fear the most important negative predictor of WTP for bat conservation. Among sociodemographics, older participants, with higher education, farmers, and pet owners showed the highest support, while those with higher education, farmers, and consumptive recreationists offered the highest bid for bat conservation. Participants drew information about bats mostly from informal sources, such as friends, movies, novels, and comics. Our study allowed for the estimation of public support and necessary funds for bat conservation, which are valuable for successful conservation management. Findings will also be critical for the design and implementation of effective education and outreach programs, aimed at increasing knowledge about bats and ultimately support for bat conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caves and other subterranean habitats are crucial for the survival of many bat species, but often deteriorate as a result of visits by tourists. The aim of the study was to understand the conservation challenges associated with the cave dwelling bats at Gupteswar cave tourism and pilgrimage site in eastern India and to develop conservation recommendations. I counted bat populations and monitored tourist visits once per month for 12 months during September 2016–August 2017. Roosting and breeding activities of eight species of bats, including two nationally threatened species, were recorded from five caves. The number of bats counted during the 12 survey days was 785–940 individuals. Tourism activity occurred throughout the year but was higher during local festive seasons; the maximum number of tourist entries recorded in a single day was 2,769. Installation of gated entrances, scheduling of visits to control overcrowding, restriction of access to caves with maternity colonies during breeding seasons, and minimal use of electric bulbs for illumination would minimize disturbance to the bats. Installation of educational display boards would help to create awareness of the conservation importance of bats amongst the cave visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A boom in volunteered geographic information has led to extensive data-driven exploration and modeling of places. While many studies have used such data to explore human-environment interaction in urban settings, few have investigated natural, non-urban settings. To address this gap, this study systematically explores the content of online reviews of nature-based recreation activities, and develops a fine-grained hierarchical model that includes 28 aspects grouped into three main domains: activity, settings, and emotions/cognition. It further demonstrates how the model can be used to explore the variation in recreation experiences across activities, setting the stage for the analysis of the spatio-temporal variations in recreation experiences in the future. Importantly, the study provides an annotated corpus that can be used as a training dataset for developing methods to automatically capture aspects of recreation experiences in texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration is the most important phenomenon that can endanger the existence and survival of the rural community. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of social capital components and place attachment on the migration of people in the villages of Jiroft County, which was done with a quantitative approach. The statistical population of the study was the active rural population. Krejice and Morgan table was used to determine the sample size (n=382). A stratified random sampling method was used to select the sample. A questionnaire was used for data collection that its validity was confirmed by a panel of experts. Furthermore, in order to assess the reliability of the research tool, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated (0.7a0.83؛). The results of the Pearson correlation analysis showed that increasing the distance between rural and urban areas leads to more migration. Also, the decrease in social capital among the villagers leads to an increase in their migration. The results of path analysis showed that all components of social capital have direct and significant effects on migration, and among these, social participation has the most significant direct effect on rural migration. At the same time, place attachment also has a significant direct negative effect on migration. All components of social capital have a significant direct positive effect on place attachment. This means that the higher the level of social participation, social cohesion, social trust, social awareness and social relations of the people in rural communities, the higher the probability that their place attachment will be increased and consequently, the lower the likelihood of migration among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean region attracts annually more than 400 million tourists. In recent decades, quad tourism has grown, favoured by poor regulations. Environmental impacts of off-road vehicles have been widely studied in the USA, but not in the Mediterranean. This paper addresses that gap through a literature review on the impacts of motorized recreation, and an analysis of the current implementation of quad tourism in the region and of advertising topics. Main impacts were reported on soils, vegetation and wildlife. We have registered 337 quad agencies in 20 Mediterranean countries, with important concentrations in some regions. Half agencies promote their tours with images driving out of the trails, 22% crossing rivers, 9% driving on the beach, 7% on dunes and 23% sell the activity as an extreme adventure. It is necessary a stronger authorization framework, including the environmental impact assessment of these activities, more involvement of tour operators in environmental protection and greater education of the participants about the impacts of off-road driving and the importance of their behaviour. Further research in the region is also convenient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study examines the influence of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) on employees' voluntary environmental behavior (VEB), and it tests the moderating effect of ecocentric leadership (EL). Design/Method: We adopted deductive reasoning in a positivist paradigm by applying quantitative analytical techniques and structural equation modeling. We selected 187 respondents from clothing industry through a self-administered questionnaire survey in Chattogram, the commercial capital of Bangladesh. Findings: The outcomes revealed that both SRHRM and EL influence VEB. However, the moderation analysis indicated that EL negatively intervenes in the effect of SRHRM on VEB. Implications: One of the essential contributions of our study is its development of the knowledge related to valuing, developing, and measuring SRHRM's contribution to improving VEB in a moderated model with the help of EL to ensure long-term sustainability. Originality: Very little is known about the importance of SRHRM in fostering employees' voluntary environmental behavior, so this study will be one of the first to examine the topic. Moreover, the moderating effect of EL posits that its interaction effect is not substantial in stimulating voluntary environmental behavior if organizations can institutionalize SRHRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile phone big data can offer new opportunities for identifying weather impacts on recreational ecosystem services in protected areas. This could be useful to assess how climate change could affect recreational ecosystem services. To explore these opportunities, we utilize mobile phone data and examine impacts of tropical weather (temperature, rainfall, and wind) and holidays on visitor numbers and stay time in an urban protected area in Singapore. These impacts were analyzed by visitors' home regions and ethnic groups as well. The study results showed that rising temperatures below 31.7 °C had positive impacts on visitor numbers, in contrast to the common perception that cooler temperatures would be always preferred for outdoor activities in a tropical region. Meanwhile, these rising temperatures reduced visitor stay time in the protected area. Rain and wind had limited impacts on visitors. Compared to the weather variables, holidays had bigger impacts on visitors, particularly the Chinese group and those visitors living not close to the protected area. The study results highlight several advantages of mobile phone data application to analyzing weather impacts on public use of urban protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictions on public gatherings in early 2020 due to the COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in cancelation of in‐person outreach programs offered by the Florida Master Naturalist Program and Natural Areas Training Academy, two successful University of Florida extension programs that provide natural history and resource management training to lay and professional audiences. In response, both programs rapidly transitioned to blended or 100% online educational methods to continue offering courses and maintain program operations. To assess participant responses to these changes, we used surveys and course registry data to evaluate and compare course enrollment, satisfaction, and outcomes among courses with new online formats to courses offered prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic. We also examined logistical challenges and key programmatic elements that facilitated the transition of both programs to increased reliance on online education. Course participants responded favorably to classes offered online. Our results revealed an audience exists for online programming, that satisfaction with online courses was high and comparable to that measured for in‐person courses, and that online approaches effectively transferred knowledge and promoted behavior change in participants. The transition to online programming required investments of time, energy, and in some cases, direct costs. However, this transition was greatly facilitated by the existence of well‐defined program protocols, educational curricula, strong partnerships, and feedback mechanisms for both programs. Long‐term investments in program structure, partnerships, and support systems enabled both programs to be resilient and adaptable and successfully implement online programming in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grand challenges are complex problems that are common to much of society, affect large populations, and may have several possible solutions. Incorporation of grand challenges into higher education courses can facilitate the development of collaborative problem-solving skills while providing relevant and practical opportunities to experience the dynamics involved in real-world work. Although grand challenges are becoming more commonly used in higher education, to date, there has been no synthesis of how grand challenges are incorporated and the learning outcomes of engaging in grand challenge work. In this scoping review, we examined and mapped the state of evidence for the use of grand challenges in higher education. We conducted the review according to the Johanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and considered quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies as well as literature reviews, program descriptions, and opinion papers published in English without limitations on year of publication. We used a data extraction tool to synthesize and present our findings in a tabular form with accompanying narrative summaries. The results reveal a growing global interest in the use of grand challenges in higher education while highlighting a lack of rigorous empirical evidence on the impact on student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National parks are key for conserving biodiversity and supporting people's well‐being. However, anthropogenic pressures challenge the existence of national parks and their conservation effectiveness. Therefore, it is crucial to assess how people perceive national parks in order to enhance socio‐political support for conservation.User‐generated data shared by visitors on social media provide opportunities to understand how people perceive (e.g. preferences, feelings, opinions) national parks during nature‐based recreational experiences. In this study, we applied methods from automated natural language processing to assess visitors' sentiment when describing experiences in Instagram posts geolocated inside four national parks in South Africa.We found that visitors' sentiment was positive, and mostly included emotions such as joy, anticipation, trust and surprise, with only a small occurrence of posts with negative feelings. Appreciation of nature, in association with a diverse set of other aspects, such as activities, geographical features and tourist attractions, was used to describe experiences related to nature, wilderness, travelling, holidays and adventures. The type of nature‐based experience described by visitors was park specific, revealing different profiles of parks providing wildlife or scenery experiences.Findings support and highlight the societal role of national parks in providing visitors with opportunities to develop positive connections with nature. Social media data may be used to understand visitors' perceptions, and how the image of national parks is constructed by users in the virtual social environment. This may help inform management for promoting a high‐quality tourism experience, as well as conservation marketing aimed at fostering socio‐political support for national parks and their long‐term conservation effectiveness. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of People & Nature is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Knowledge of the relationships among psychological constructs such as values and motivations that influence proenvironmental behavior provides public land management agencies with guidance on how to minimize stakeholder impacts on the environment. A rich body of research has demonstrated that values form a tripartite structure underlying environmental concern, encompassing biospheric, egoistic, and altruistic values; however, recent work has suggested hedonic values are also an instrumental basis for environmental concern. Few studies have tested this proposition. We contend that hedonic values are instrumental in explaining the psychological processes that gird individual decisions, particularly in nature-based settings where stakeholder decisions are compelled by leisure pursuits. Our results indicate that place-based motivations, particularly escape from the pressures of everyday life, can help close the prominent value–action gap and explain why outdoor recreationists engage in minimum-impact activities specified in the U.S. Leave No Trace educational outreach program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agribusiness enterprises link rural landscapes to global and regional markets. The nature of these business–landscape relationships is vital to the sustainability transition. Decisions by farmers and agriculture policymakers aggregate to changes in the ecology of landscapes, but the influence of food supply system businesses on rural landscape sustainability also requires scrutiny. This article uses four international cases to present a conceptual framework for investigating how different business strategies can support agricultural landscape sustainability. Insights from North America, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and Denmark inform the framework dimensions of horizontal/territorial and vertical/systemic business–landscape relationships. Three types of business model that promote rural sustainability are highlighted: provenance, cogovernance, and placemaking. These models engage strategies such as environmental management systems, certification, ecosystem and landscape services, and spatial planning. Research directions that will improve understanding about how business can engage with rural stakeholders for more sustainable rural landscapes are identified, including the need for cross disciplinary perspectives incorporating social, ecological, and business knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dokuz Eylul University Journal of Graduate School of Social Sciences is the property of Dokuz Eylul University Graduate School of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a case study to understand how people from a rural population that has been undergoing intense anthropogenic transformations in recent decades perceive these local landscape changes. We conducted a participatory workshop, during which we used the scoring exercise method to stimulate the participants to rank the plant species that they consider most important for utilitarian and commercial purposes, and we employed the historical chart method to they represent the perceived changes in the availability of agricultural, wood, and medicinal plant resources over the last five decades. In order to further explore the historical chart results, we employed the thematic oral history method with those residents considered by the local people as having a high degree of knowledge about the local forest. Our findings show that people attribute great importance to the species of edible plants in the region, although they perceive them as having a low commercial potential. Regarding the perceived changes in the landscape, people indicated that there were declining areas of forest in the region, and that in the past, agriculture was practiced more intensely. Additionally, people perceive a decline in the availability of plants for wood purposes, and an increase in the availability of plants for medicinal purposes. These results indicate that even small rural populations can undertake significant changes in their surrounding ecosystems over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural areas of the Republic of Croatia are experiencing abandonment, which is especially intensive in the eastern part of the country. This paper aims to provide insights into places with specific spatial and functional characteristics, pustara settlements, within the rural landscape of the Baranja region, presenting their cultural and architectural heritage that needs comprehensive protection and conversion. The redevelopment potential, as well as the negative significance of abandonment of these sites, indicates the need for identifying the characteristics of these settlements: the tangible value of its built facilities and open spaces, its movable cultural heritage, as well as its intangible values. The main objectives were to determine desirable tangible and intangible pustara values by investigating place attachment among former pustara residents, and to provide information on domestic tourists' preferences in visiting these settlements. The results indicate a common preference among former pustara residents and tourists for its architectural heritage: e.g. its settlement as a spatial unit and its parks. Additionally, tourists expressed preferences for recreational and entertainment facilities. Common interests, as well as highly expressed needs among former inhabitants and tourists, present the basis for establishing new functions and redevelopment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT) are arguably the most popular long-distance hiking routes in the United States. With increasing need for recreational space, these trails are experiencing heavier visitation and impact. Research on the experiences of long-distance hikers can be used as a means of justifying funding for the management of the AT, PCT, CDT, and other long-distance trails. This study used the Benefits of Hiking Scale to determine whether benefits of participation and components of means-end theory varied based on the duration and location of long-distance hiking experiences. The study used an online survey to collect data from 292 hikers, who were classified as non-thru-hikers, AT thru-hikers, or thru-hikers of other long-distance trails. The number of thru-hikes completed in the last 10 years was also calculated. Results suggest that non-thru-hikers seek to maintain or improve physical health to a greater degree than thru-hikers, who appear to be motivated by other aspects of the hiking experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The nominal group technique (NGT) is a qualitative method to elicit judgement from stakeholders. This paper reviews its application in the field of ecology and conservation. We aim to identify patterns in methodological variants, topics covered, scope, advantages and limitations of the technique. Although still not widely used, NGT has been used in ecology and conservation to achieve four main goals: to support biodiversity management, to identify stakeholder preferences and attitudes, to prioritize in capacity‐building exercises and to explore novel concepts. Most NGT studies have been applied at local level. NGT is quite flexible and has been used in combination with a range of techniques (surveys, with the Delphi method and with multi‐criteria analysis, as well as with the collection of ecological data). The amalgamation of individual and collective reflection and the coproduction of knowledge among participants in NGT allows for a depolarizing approach to the study and management of conservation issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism spatial planning requires the balance of both development and conservation. Through environmental data analysis, many researchers have suggested spatial planning that falls between these two polarizing concepts. Nonetheless, ecotourism development has been criticized as inconsiderate of places that are precious to local residents. The purpose of this study is to map local stakeholders' perspectives for collaborative planning based on interests regarding ecotourism. Q methodology was used to analyse interest in space and conduct mapping. Upon analysis of a Seocheon ecotourism site, four preference factors that focus on (i) large-scale ecotourism resources and facilities; (ii) mud-flat ecotour villages; (iii) inland agricultural ecotour villages; and (iv) traditional ecotour villages were identified. Additionally, there was a consensus to conserve the harbours and reservoirs actually used by residents. However, there were differing opinions about coastal region development, and thus design alternatives are required. These results are significant because they enable spatial planning by theme and consider the lives of local residents beyond spatial planning based on physical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution has been identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "the nation's largest water quality problem". Urban development, septic systems, and agricultural operations have been identified as the major sources of diffuse pollution in surface and ground water bodies. In recent decades, urban and agricultural Best Management Practices (BMP) have been developed in several states to address agricultural water quality and water use impacts, including the reduction of nutrient loads to help meet water quality standards. Compliance with BMPs is associated with some costs to local governments, homeowners, and agricultural operations, but the improvements in water quality associated with BMP adoption are expected to yield significant benefits to society in the form of improved recreational opportunities, navigation, flood control, and ecosystem health. The development of sound policies and decision making processes require balancing the costs of BMP adoption to the agricultural operations with the social benefits to be derived from the improved water quality. In this paper we develop a benefits transfer model to provide estimates of the economic benefits of properly implemented and effective Best Management Practices (BMP) throughout the state of Florida. These benefit estimates can be used in a cost-benefit framework to determine the optimal level of BMP adoption throughout the state of Florida and provide a framework for other regions to estimate the potential benefits of BMP-mediated water quality improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive tree cover loss and gain have been significantly influencing the environment and society. It is essential to identify the potential factors and to evaluate their importance. A large body of literature has investigated the factors influencing tree cover loss, usually at the global or regional scale and focusing on the quantity issue: how are the rate and extent of tree cover loss influenced by different factors? This paper has two objectives. The first is to pinpoint factors influencing the locations of tree cover loss and gain (the location issue) at the pixel level. The second is to evaluate the heterogeneous importance of factors in two periods of 1991 through 2002 and 2002 through 2013 and in four counties within the Li River Basin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The random forests technique was adopted to model the responses of tree cover loss and gain probabilities of sampled pixels to initial landscape pattern factors, biophysical factors and proximity factors. A ranking of factor importance and a set of important factors were derived for each county and time period. The partial dependence plots were generated for the most important factors to reveal how exactly tree cover loss and gain probabilities change as influenced by these factors. The results confirmed that factor importance varied across time and space, and the variability of proximity factors and initial landscape pattern factors were more pronounced. The furthered understanding of the heterogeneous importance of different factors on the locations of tree cover loss and gain can support more sustainable forest management practices and the development of more effective policies regarding ecosystem conservation and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatially-explicit land cover land use change (LCLUC) models are becoming increasingly useful tools for historians and archaeologists. Such kinds of models have been developed and used by geographers, ecologists and land managers over the last few decades to carry out prospective scenarios. In this paper, we review historical models to compare them with prospective models, with the assumption that the ample experience gained in the development of models of prospective simulation can benefit the development of models having as their objective the simulation of changes that happened in the past. The review is divided into three sections: in the first section, we explain the functioning of contemporary LCLUC models; in the second section, we analyze historical LCLUC models; in the third section, we compare the former two types of models, and finally, we discuss the contributions to historical LCLUC models of contemporary LCLUC models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]