Search

The sustainability and efficiency of ecotourism regarding biodiversity conservation are under constant scrutiny and often dismissed based on negative effects arising from other types of nature-based tourism. Our study assess the impacts of infrastructure, human activity, and environmental factors on medium-large ground terrestrial species within the Lapa Rios Ecolodge Nature Reserve; results indicate that restoration, preservation, and conservation efforts are responsible for the wide range of species found within their reserve, including increased abundance of highly threatened rodents and ground birds. There is no indication that visitation or tour activities have negative impacts on wildlife; instead, the Ecolodge effectively created a 'human shield' that weakens threats to wildlife arising from hunting, logging, and gold mining. This shield effect ripples across the Osa Peninsula through the socio-economic benefits provided by ecotourism. Our results support a conservation model incorporating private reserves and parks to sustain biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wildlife tourism industry faces increasing threats of climate change and human demand, both of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in human activity resulting from the pandemic has created disruptions for wildlife tourism destinations that are being felt by the local communities, the wildlife, and the surrounding environment. This paper examines the impacts of these disruptions and highlights the opportunity for wildlife destinations to start building back towards the goal of sustainability with increased resilience. The principles of resilience and ecotourism are examined, with the intersecting and applicable fundamentals further explained. A framework for wildlife destination sustainability is then presented alongside a conceptual model for policymakers, tourism operators, and community leaders to consider. This study argues that wildlife tourism destinations should apply and promote sound ecotourism principles to better prepare for and recover from disruptions, promote biodiversity conservation, and support socio-economic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing demographics in rural states have been on the forefront of policymakers' minds. Trends such as high median age, low birth rates, and pronounced youth outmigration compound larger challenges of workforce and community development. Many rural states are promoting recreational and natural amenities as an attraction, hoping to lure established adult newcomers or returnees to resettle. However, it is unclear precisely how rural stakeholders perceive recreation to be an effective tool in attracting and retaining youth and young adults, beyond official branding strategies and campaigns. This study sought to identify macrosystem-level messaging circulating in stories told by stakeholders in education, workforce, and quality of life domains about how recreation relates to youth future orientation and decision making. Thirty-two data collection events (interviews or focus groups) with leaders in the policymaking, state administration, and youth-serving program areas in New Hampshire (NH) were conducted in 2020-2021. Themes were achieved using a story-based methodological approach guided by a master narrative conceptual framework, which states that macrosystem-level messaging impacts individual agency and decision-making. Four themes surrounding recreation emerged: 1) recreational opportunities are storied as less impactful on youth future orientation than educational and employment opportunities; 2) statewide branding focusing on outdoor recreational amenities and experiences may not be accessible or appealing to youth; 3) youth lack meaningful community engagement and leadership opportunities, resulting in low youth voice in community development initiatives; and 4) there is an assumption that youth will ultimately leave rural areas for educational, employment, and recreational opportunities elsewhere and return later as established adults. We make recommendations for recreation providers and stakeholders, including: 1) growing youth community attachment through recreation spaces and places in rural areas, 2) providing more inclusive forms of youth-focused state and community branding, 3) advocating for youth-focused recreation and civic engagement policy/programming, and 4) developing messaging resisting narratives insinuating recreation is unimportant in youth decision making and future orientation. Rural communities following these recommendations may enhance youth quality of life and contribute to a demographically diverse and thriving population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how Thai tourists interpret their attachment to Japan using a qualitative approach. Employing a four-dimensional framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 frequent Thai visitors to Japan. The narratives revealed all four dimensions of place attachment: place identity, place dependence, place social bonding, and place affect. Japan emerged as a unique destination offering irreplaceable travel experiences. Place dependence was most significant in fostering attachment, while place affect was an accumulation of the other three dimensions. The study found that attachment resulted from a combination of diverse factors rather than a single cause. It underscores the role of place attachment in promoting repeat visits and destination loyalty, providing insights to enhance Japan's tourism appeal. However, the reliance on qualitative methods limits generalizability. Future research should explore attachment in non-visitors, the longevity of attachment, and factors reducing attachment to a place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Since tourist behavior plays the primary role in protecting the environment, this study has been conducted to extend the psychological perspectives of visitors' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) in one of the most important natural heritage sites in Iran (Damavand Mountain) in the COVID-19 pandemic timeline and provide awareness for destination environmentalists as well as managers on how to control visitors' behavior. Likewise, Robbins (2002) Organizational Behavior model has been tested on ERB in ecotourism. Generally, 260 reliable questionnaires have been analyzed by using PLS-SEM2.0. The findings showed that (1) Visitors' attitude and ability toward nature would positively affect their ERB; (2) Motivation and learning mediate the impact of visitors' attitude and ability on their ERB; (3) Ability plays a significant role in the formation of visitors' ERB. Thus, the best way to change visitors' behavior is to educate them to make ERB more like a habit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given environmental contribution of individuals' behavioral change, this study explored how hikers' pro-environmental behavior can be facilitated. The theoretical model incorporated the restorative quality of natural trails as an external environment, hikers' place affect and their pro-environmental behavior. This study used a mixed research approach to test this model, which involved developing measurement items for the restorative quality of nature trails and analyzing survey data from 361 hikers. The analysis showed that the restorative quality of natural trails induced place affect, which increased place-specific pro-environmental behavior. Mediating effect of place affect and moderating function of daily environmental practices were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Resources & Ecology is the property of Journal of Resources & Ecology 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.)

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]

Copyright of Adıyaman Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitisü Dergisi is the property of Adiyaman University, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitusu 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.)

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]

Copyright of Austrian Journal of Forest Science / Centralblatt für das Gesamte Forstwesen is the property of Osterreichischer Agrarverlag Druck und Verlags Gesellschaft m.b.H. Nfg. KG 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.)

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]

China holds the position of top spender in international tourism. Despite that Chinese tourists' behaviors have been researched extensively, limited attention has been given to understanding their travel intention towards Thailand, a popular destination in Southeast Asia. This study proposes a theoretical framework via extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to ascertain factors influencing Chinese tourists' travel intention to Thailand. With 261 data collected online, the study carried out analysis by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results revealed that the predictability of the extended TPB model was improved, highlighted tourists' attitudes and destination attachments played pivotal roles in determining tourists' travel intentions, and perceived behavioral control positively affected attitude. Moreover, tourists' attitudes and subjective norm significantly influenced destination attachment. The mediation analysis revealed that the effects of attitude and subjective norm on travel intention were transferred through their attachments. The fsQCA analysis identified four heterogenous configurations to generate tourists' travel intention. Methodologically, the study advanced the theoretical understanding of extended TPB model via a mixed approach of PLS-SEM and fsQCA, and obtained a unique perspective of interdependencies among various factors that influence tourists' travel intention and behaviors. Managerial implications are provided to comparable tourism destinations across Asia to appeal prospective tourists. [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]

Copyright of Journal of Forestry Society of Croatia / Sumarski List Hrvatskoga Sumarskoga Drustva is the property of Forestry Society of Croatia 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.)

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]

While host-children are vulnerable to tourism impacts, the tourism literature has neglected how these impacts affect host-children's quality of life (QOL). The concept of QOL is ambiguous, and the influence of a host-guest relationship on residents' QOL has been overlooked. This paper addresses these gaps by exploring how host-children in a developing country perceive tourism impacts on their QOL, focusing on power dynamics in a host-guest relationship. Data were collected from 94 Cambodian host-children using qualitative methods, including drawings and group interviews. The findings revealed Cambodian host-children's perceptions of tourism impacts over five life domains—material, learning opportunity, cultural pride, emotion, and child sex tourism/trafficking. Despite their perception of negative impacts, all host-children believed that tourism had improved their QOL. The paradox of QOL is explained through Bottom-up Spillover Theory incorporated with Social Exchange Theory. Practical implications for post-COVID and directions for future research are suggested. [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]

Wine tourism represents a complex ecosystem combining distinct sectors: grape production, wine making and tourism. Innovative wine tourism must understand the dynamics of the wine tourism ecosystem, specifically regarding entrepreneur-stakeholders' value-cocreation, and its capacity to unlock significant sources of new value, with benefits for all. By proposing a stakeholder-entrepreneur value-cocreation pyramid, the present study aims to explore how wine tourism companies model their own value constellation and what perceived benefits make them invest in partner/relationships yielding a win-win value cocreation, beneficial to all stakeholders involved. A qualitative methodology helped validate the proposed model, with data from wine tourism agents of the Bairrada wine route in Portugal, collected through 44 in-depth interviews. Content analysis was performed using NVivo12. From the stakeholder-entrepreneur view, interview results unmask a rather individualist and functional/transactional attitude towards partners, revealing little relational/truly collaborative/societal engagement, hardly stimulating partners' co-creative potential. The proposed model provides an analytical framework for assessing the degree of cooperation and potential of innovative value-cocreation within the wine tourism ecosystem, thus reflecting stakeholders' relational maturity, and their ability to boost sustainable regional development through value-based and value-producing network dynamics. [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]

Predation risk and prey responses exhibit fluctuations in space and time. Seasonal ecological disturbances can alter landscape structure and permeability to influence predator activity and efficacy, creating predictable patterns of risk for prey (seasonal risk landscapes). This may create corresponding seasonal shifts in antipredator behaviour, mediated by species ecology and trade‐offs between risk and resources. Yet, how human recreation interacts with seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator behaviour remains understudied.In South Florida, we investigated the impact of a seasonal ecological disturbance, specifically flooding, which is inversely related to human activity, on interactions between Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) and white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We hypothesized that human activity and ecological disturbances would interact with panther‐deer ecology, resulting in the emergence of two distinct seasonal landscapes of predation risk and the corresponding antipredator responses.We conducted camera trap surveys across southwestern Florida to collect detection data on humans, panthers and deer. We analysed the influence of human site use and flooding on deer and panther detection probability, co‐occurrence and diel activity during the flooded and dry seasons.Flooding led to decreased panther detections and increased deer detections, resulting in reduced deer‐panther co‐occurrence during the flooded season. Panthers exhibited increased nocturnality and reduced diel activity overlap with deer in areas with higher human activity. Supporting our hypothesis, panthers' avoidance of human recreation and flooding created distinct risk schedules for deer, driving their antipredator behaviour. Deer utilized flooded areas to spatially offset predation risk during the flooded season while increasing diurnal activity in response to human recreation during the dry season.We highlight the importance of understanding how competing risks and ecological disturbances influence predator and prey behaviour, leading to the generation of seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator responses. We emphasize the role of cyclical ecological disturbances in shaping dynamic predator–prey interactions. Furthermore, we highlight how human recreation may function as a 'temporal human shield,' altering seasonal risk landscapes and antipredator responses to reduce encounter rates between predators and prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tourism Tribune / Lvyou Xuekan is the property of Tourism Institute of Beijing Union 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 purpose of this research note was to introduce a novel system of animal health warning labels to (i) contribute to better welfare (health) of animals used at nature-based ecotourism and wildlife (NEWT) attractions and (ii) provide a method to communicate to tourists in a language they are already exposed to daily. Two different frameworks inform the development of the proposed system, both of which are new to the tourism studies domain. The first situates an animal health warning label system within a 'health and social-ecological systems' mode of thinking, while the second focuses on the psychological, social, and philosophical mechanisms that determine participation at NEWT attractions. The research note concludes with policy, practice, implementation and monitoring recommendations. [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]

Large wild areas are important for both nature conservation and nature‐based recreation. Information on the reciprocal relationships between recreators and the environments in which they recreate can help both conservation and recreation management. We considered motivations, perceptions, environmental concerns, and social concerns among flyfishers who recreate within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area on the Central Plateau of Tasmania, Australia. Using semi‐structured interviews with 27 participants, we established that they were motivated by a love of nature, desire for experience, escapism, connection, and challenge. On the basis of motivations and attitudes, we discriminated four groups of flyfishers: "social" (those who fish with friends), "trophy" (lone fishers who are goal‐oriented), "outdoor enthusiast" (those who enjoy the outdoor experience, fishing optional), and "hunter‐gatherer" (those prepared to travel long distances for catch). Nonetheless, all groups perceived environmental and social problems related to fishing and visitation behaviours, from littering to climate change. Fishers perceived environmental problems included identifying exotic weeds and pests but did not specifically include trout as a pest, despite their exotic status and adverse effects on native ecosystems. However, flyfishers were aware of most of their impacts and were willing to help mitigate them. Such insight is significant for geographers and those in associated disciplines and professions seeking to manage wild protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated watershed management is a holistic and sustainable approach in managing water resources and the environment associated with river flow. One of the important aspects in integrated watershed management is to pay attention to the socio-economic aspects of the people living around the river. In many places in Indonesia, watershed bears a heavy burden due to its high population density and intensive utilization of natural resources, leading to environmental degradation and a decline in watershed conditions. On the other hand, the demands on watershed to support livelihood systems, including community activities and fisheries from upstream to downstream, coastal areas, and the sea, are substantial. The purpose of the study was to identify the socio-economic situation of the community and how to manage the watershed with the approach of the socio-economic aspects of the community. The method used was Qualitative analysis with observation, deep interview, and questionary. The purpose of the study was to identify the socio-economic situation of the community and how to manage the watershed with the approach of the socio-economic aspects of the community. The method used was Qualitative analysis with observation, deep interview, and questionary. The results showed that education level in the upstream area is higher than the downstream area. The level of education, employment, and community income can affect their attitudes and participation in watershed management activities. Communities who have higher education, jobs related to watersheds and coastal areas, and adequate income tend to be more active and aware of maintaining the sustainability of watersheds and coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)

Purpose: In recent days, there has been an increasing interest towards achieving sustainable tourism objectives globally and specifically in Saudi Arabia. The benefits can be maximized if the government is successful in attracting current pilgrims and influence their future intention to revisit the country as tourists. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to measure pilgrims' revisit intentions to understand more about the possibility of their potential contribution towards the Saudi tourism and hospitality industry in the evolving circumstances. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses configuration theory to identify the "ideal" type of the pilgrims and compares this to the rest to establish if they differ and if that difference matters. Data were collected from 278 visitors to the Holy Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah. Findings: The findings show that a large deviation from the "ideal pilgrim" is negatively related to revisiting intentions and dissemination of positive word of mouth (PWOM). Research limitations/implications: The development of profiles gives a better understanding of organizations or people across several dimensions looked at holistically. Fundamental to the theory is that there are only a limited number of configurations that achieve optimal performance (however defined). Originality/value: The analytical approach adopted in this paper leads to achieving verbal and statistical correspondence in tests of "gestalts". The interest is in establishing whether this difference matters to intentions to revisit and providing PWOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community participation in natural resources management is a basis for sustainable management of these resources. However, the question of which actors/assets within communities are more connected to the natural resources based on their knowledge, skills and talents is not well captured. This study, therefore, combines Asset Based Community Development approach and Bio‐Cultural approach, to identify influential stakeholders in the utilization of catchment resources in Upper Zigi and Lower Mngeta catchments, in the United Republic of Tanzania. Participatory rural appraisal tools; participatory bio‐physical resource mapping (PBRM) and participatory community asset mapping (PCAM) were used for data collection. Similar observations were made in both study sites, that, the most influential community assets were traditional healers, traditional dancers, hunters, Village Government, fishermen, farmers and family, and therefore, these most influential community assets should get involved in the management of catchment resources because they are true representatives of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on animal ethics in tourism has gained traction but posthumanist approaches to wildlife (eco)tourism remain sparse. There has never been a more urgent need to redress this paucity in theory and practice. More than 60% of the world's wildlife has died-off in the last 50 years, 100 million-plus nonhuman animals are used for entertainment in wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs), more than one billion "wildlife" live in captivity, and some scholars argue that earth has entered its sixth mass extinction event known as the Anthropocene. This paper presents a posthumanist multispecies livelihoods framework (MLF) based on an applied ethnographic study of 47 wildlife ecotourism (WE) operators and wildlife researchers in protected area WTAs across four countries. Like any framework, it is a snapshot of the authors' thinking at a particular time and must be improved upon. The MLF does not purport to solve the negative treatment of nonhumans that can occur in tourism settings, but rather responds to calls in the tourism literature to acknowledge our effects on other species and advocates for equitable human-nonhuman livelihoods. This paper argues that we have a moral responsibility to nonhumans and the environment, and the authors hope to generate reflexive discourse concerning the role tourism can play in redressing the ecological crisis and improving the treatment of individual nonhumans to foster wildlife-human coexistence. [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.)

National forest parks are important ecotourism destinations for locals and out-of-town visitors worldwide. The increase in protected areas is accompanied by challenges. The major challenge is the tension between conservation and exploitation. However, over-exploitation is causing irreversible damage to tourism resources by neglecting to accelerate conservation and satisfying the needs of only tourists. Therefore, it is a prerequisite to evaluate the value of ecotourism resources, especially non-use values. Liugong Island National Forest Park is a seaside forest park in Shandong Province, China. Tourist activities have negatively impacted the amenity and values of the park and increased management and maintenance costs. This study aimed to enhance the protection awareness of ecotourism resources by evaluating non-use values with the contingent valuation method (CVM). Ecotourism attitude factors were extracted by factor analysis, and the ecotourism market was segmented by cluster analysis. Then, an empirical assessment model was designed. Furthermore, through a double-bounded dichotomous choice model of the CVM, non-use values of ecotourism resources were estimated, and differences in non-use values among the groups with different attitudes were discussed. The results indicated that (1) Tourists with conservation backgrounds tended to pay more for general non-use values, while high-income tourists were willing to pay more for the Altruistic value; (2) The willingness to pay (WTP) of tourists was highest for the Bequest value, followed by the Existence value or Altruistic value, and finally the Option value; (3) The WTP was highest for the group valuing pluralism, followed by the group concerning resources, and lowest for the group concerning the environment. This study can provide valuable information for ecotourism planning and management that corresponds to current issues and tourist needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delivers a critical review and assessment of the last 15 years of experience design research in an NBT context. We employed a systematic approach to review the literature and identified 99 relevant out of 1378 studies published in selected databases. The analysis has demonstrated that research on NBT experience design is cross-disciplinary and faces increasing interest. Despite significant progress, the concept of the NBT visitor experiences is still vague and lacks systematic understanding. Destination managers must focus on structuring visitor opportunities in line with market requirements and consistent with their legal and organizational mandates. This requires understanding the linkages between visitor participation, expectation, and outcomes from NBT activities to influence settings and co-design memorable experiences, reduce hassles, and promote proenvironmental behaviour and visitor commitment. Monitoring visitor experiences remained poorly defined, with few advances to its definition and measurement. Major lessons learned and new avenues for research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of high-resolution tourist volume data for specific types of tourism activities poses a substantial obstacle to quantitatively assessing the impacts of climate change. Here, a new method of generating daily tourist volume for cherry blossom viewing tourism from user-generated content (UGC) was proposed, based on which the daily tourist volume for cherry blossom viewing in 220 cities across China from 2010 to 2019 was generated and verified. Then, generalized additive model (GAM) and segmented regression were introduced to reveal the non-linear and threshold relationships between daily tourist volume and temperature. Finally, the trends in the daily tourist volume from 2020 to 2050 were simulated under two future climate change scenarios SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway, SSP). The proposed method can provide methodological support for analyzing other specific types of tourism activities by generating alternative data on tourist volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about bats often underlie social support for bat management and intentions to conserve bats. Effective bat conservation and management hinges on understanding these drivers across contexts. Lands classified as wildland-urban interface (WUI) are rapidly expanding in the USA, increasing the likelihood of human-bat interactions from management practices and encroachment on forested landscapes. We surveyed 410 households in one Arizona WUI community to assess residents' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions toward bats, and differences among these variables associated with demographic traits, past encounters with bats, support for bat management, and willingness to place artificial bat roosts on their properties. Greater knowledge and positive attitudes, beliefs, and emotions positively predicted willingness to place roosts 59% to 85% of the time, varying across demographic groups; they did not predict support for bat management. Our findings demonstrated that contexts and demographic traits are important considerations for bat conservation and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polymer Materials Science & Engineering is the property of Sichuan University, Polymer Research Institute 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.)

Despite much previous research, gaps remain in our understanding of why satisfied tourists with positive destination images do not revisit favoured destinations. Recent research proposes sensory impressions as a complementary determinant of revisit intentions alongside destination image. This study initially compares how these two drivers influence changes in tourist behavioural loyalty over time, especially after the trip. Through a combination of a longitudinal field experiment and a survey, the studies found that a natural decline in willingness to revisit over time was largely associated with a fast fade-out of sensory impressions. Furthermore, we examined the effects on tourists with differing levels of experience, finding that for tourists who have visited several times, only sensory impressions play a significant role in willingness to revisit. Implications for tourism and hospitality industry recovery after the COVID-19 outbreak are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the relationships between the dimensions of café attachment, the dimensions of experiential relationship quality and the dimensions of experiential outcomes. The findings of this study are based on structural equation modeling of a convenience sample of 482 customers drinking coffee at B;eat in Gangnam in Seoul, indicating that the proposed model fits the data. The analysis results contribute to the services marketing theory by providing additional insights into the dimensions of café attachment, the dimensions of experiential relationship quality and the dimensions of experiential outcomes. The results of this study will assist unmanned café managers in developing and implementing market-oriented service strategies to increase the dimensions of café attachment and the dimensions of experiential relationship quality and promote the dimensions of experiential outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourists' intention to visit a local destination and the awareness of preservation is one of the key factors that lead to sustainability. The engagement of tourists in ecotourism enables them to demonstrate a sense of responsibility in contributing to the development and preservation of a destination while having their vacation. The current study employed the Model of Goal-Oriented Behaviour (MGB) to predict tourist attitudes and sense of responsibility as a moderator to examine the relationship between personal behaviour intention. Questionnaire was utilised to collect responses from 200 respondents. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed research model. The findings indicated that escape, hedonic and social interaction significantly influenced tourists' attitudes toward ecotourism sites, and the sense of responsibility has moderated the relationships between the visitors' intention to visit and preserve ecotourism destinations. The findings also stated that tourists' intention to visit ecotourism sites was least significantly influenced by their attitudes, despite their attitudes to preserve ecotourism sites. The study is one of the few to investigate factors affecting the attitude of tourists in the context of ecotourism and utilised social responsibilities as moderators to study the intention to visit and to preserve. It provides new insight to the government sectors, communities, and other stakeholders regarding the motivations influencing the tourist intention to visit and preserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]