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Value orientations toward coral reefs in recreation and tourism settings: a conceptual and measurement approach

2010; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 18; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09669581003690486

1747-7646

Mark D. Needham,

Environmental Education and Sustainability

Abstract This paper examines recreationist and tourist value orientations toward coral reefs (e.g. protection–use, biocentric-anthropocentric), tests a scale for measuring these orientations in recreation and tourism settings, groups individuals based on their orientations and examines demographic and activity differences among groups. Data were obtained from surveys of 2821 users at three coastal and marine sites in Hawai'i. Belief statements about reefs (e.g. "coral reefs have value whether humans are present or not") were used to measure value orientations. Users agreed with protectionist and disagreed with use-oriented beliefs. Except for one statement ("humans should manage coral reefs so that humans benefit"), the scale provided a reliable and valid measure of value orientations toward reefs. Respondents were grouped into three subgroups (strong protection, moderate protection, mixed protection–use). The largest number of users had strong protectionist orientations toward reefs, and there was no group possessing only use orientations. There were no relationships between value orientations and site, age and residence. Females, snorkelers and sunbathers had stronger protectionist orientations, whereas most scuba divers and anglers had mixed orientations. Given that most respondents had protectionist orientations, efforts to conserve reefs would be supported, whereas activities with deleterious effects on reefs would not be widely supported. Keywords: coastal recreation and tourismcoral reefsdemographicsvalidity and reliabilityvalue orientations Acknowledgments The author thanks Michael Hamnett, Kristine Davidson, Risa Minato and Pamela Fujii at Hawai'i Coral Reef Initiative, and Athline Clark, Carlie Wiener, Emma Anders and Petra MacGowan at Hawai'i Division of Aquatic Resources for their support. Sherwood Maynard and Jeff Kuwabara at the University of Hawai'i Marine Option Program are also thanked for their assistance. Robyn Ceurvorst, Rhonda Collins, Will Connor, Molly Jean Culnane, Shawn Date and Holly Needham assisted with data collection. This project was supported by the Hawai'i Coral Reef Initiative Research Program and Hawai'i Division of Aquatic Resources, Department of Land and Natural Resources, pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awards NA06NOS4260200 and NA05NOS4191014. This project was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the author's institution and complied with regulations on human subjects research. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Sixth International Coastal and Marine Tourism Congress in Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Three anonymous reviewers and the coeditors are thanked for helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.