Wilderness Quality and Visitors' Wilderness Attitudes: ManagementImplications

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Park Management
• Recreation Studies

Background:

• Wilderness management involves balancing visitor experiences with conservation.
• Understanding visitor perceptions of wilderness quality is crucial for effective management.
• Previous research has explored visitor attitudes but often lacks direct comparison with objective quality metrics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between wilderness visitors' attitudes and the perceived quality of the visited wilderness.
• To compare subjective wilderness quality assessments by visitors with objective quality evaluations by park managers.
• To identify potential discrepancies between user-based and expert-based wilderness quality metrics.

Main Methods:

• A random sample of 540 wilderness campers was selected from three Ontario provincial parks (Algonquin, Killarney, Quetico).
• Data on visitor attitudes and perceived wilderness quality were collected from campers aged 15-75.
• Wilderness quality was also objectively evaluated by park managers for comparison.

Main Results:

• Significant correlations were found between visitors' wilderness attitudes and their assessments of wilderness quality.
• A notable divergence existed between the subjective quality of wilderness as evaluated by visitors and the objective quality assessed by managers.
• The study sample comprised highly educated individuals, predominantly from urban/suburban backgrounds.

Conclusions:

• Visitor attitudes are linked to their perception of wilderness quality, influencing their overall experience.
• Discrepancies between subjective and objective quality evaluations underscore the complexity of wilderness assessment and management.
• Future research should explore the factors contributing to these differing perceptions to inform more inclusive management strategies.