Understanding the place attachment of campers along the southern Ningaloo Coast, Australia This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University 2012 Joanna M. Tonge BSc (Hons)
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DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. Joanna M. Tonge Date Page iii
Awards and conference presentations: Awards Best PhD Student Paper: 16 th International Symposium on Society and Natural Resource Management: Tyranny of Or : Conservation or Development (ISSRM 2010) Best Student Presentation: Western Australian Marine Science Association: Ningaloo Research Day for Students (2010) Runner-up Best Student Paper: 48 th Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference: Crossing Boundaries (AMSA 2011) Runner-up 3MT Presentation: School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University 3 Minute Thesis Presentations (2011) Conference presentations Tonge, J., Moore, S.A., Beckley, L.E. and Ryan, M. (2011) Using photo-elicitation to explore emotional bonds in a remote recreational location. Paper presented at 10 th European Conference on Research Methodology. Caen, France. 20-21 June 2011. Tonge, J., Beckley, L.E., Moore, S.A. and Ryan, M. (2011) Using photographs to explain visitors attachment to southern Ningaloo Coast. Paper presented at 48 th Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference: Crossing Boundaries. Fremantle, Western Australia. 3-7 th July 2011. Tonge, J., Moore, S.A., Beckley, L.E. and Ryan, M. (2010) Place attachment at southern Ningaloo. Paper presented at the Ningaloo Research Day for Students. Western Australian Marine Science Institution. CSIRO Auditorium, Floreat. 30 March 2010. Page iv
Tonge, J., Moore, S.A., Beckley, L.E. and Ryan, M. (2010) Everybody's happy - Place attachment and visitors to the Ningaloo Reef, north-western Australia. Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas (MMV 2010). Wageningen, The Netherlands. 30 May 3 June 2010. Tonge, J., Moore, S.A., Beckley, L.E. and Ryan, M. (2010) The place attachment of visitors to Ningaloo Marine Park, north-western Australia. Paper presented at the 16th International Symposium on Society and Natural Resource Management: Tyranny of 'Or': Conservation or Development? Preservation or Utilization? (ISSRM 2010) Corpus Christi, Texas. 6-10 June 2010. Page v
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Abstract Place attachment and place related concepts were developed to examine bonds individuals form with places. Place concepts have been adopted by managers of natural areas to help refine their understanding of visitor preferences. These concepts, consisting predominantly of place meanings and place attachment, have been studied extensively in terrestrial natural areas with limited focus on marine and coastal areas. Therefore this study aimed to use a mixed-method approach to understand place meanings ascribed to coastal areas and the effect of place attachment on proenvironmental behaviours and support for management actions. The qualitative method photo-elicitation was employed to ascertain meanings ascribed to Ningaloo Marine Park and its adjacent coastline. Analysis of participant photographs and interviews identified four categories of meaning physical environment, recreational activities, social ties and emotional connections with each nuanced by the presence of water. This analysis identified a new form of emotional connection everybody s happy which described the enjoyment of all members of a group with a holiday to Ningaloo. This was included in a subsequent quantitative visitor survey along with more traditional dimensions of place attachment and questions pertaining to pro-environmental behaviours and management actions. Structural equation modelling identified place identity as the only dimension to have a significant effect on on-site behaviours individuals would do themselves, telling others to do these same behaviours, and off-site conservation actions. To identify the relationships between dimensions of place attachment and support for management actions each dimension was clustered based on level of attachment, with these Page vii
clusters subjected to multivariate stepwise correlation modelling (via PRIMER) with the management actions. No significant relationships were found, other than with one cluster within the everybody s happy place attachment dimension. The thesis concludes with a research agenda suggesting further reflection on the construction of place identity and its influences on perceptions of leisure settings. Also required is consideration of the newly identified and reconceptualised construct everybody s happy and its broader applicability beyond this coastal-based study. Page viii
Table of Contents Declaration... iii Awards and conference presentations:... iv Abstract... vii Acknowledgements... xi Chapter 1: Introduction... 1 Concepts of place... 3 Knowledge gaps... 25 Chapter 2: Research Design and Ningaloo Coast study site... 29 Research approach... 29 Research questions and associated objectives... 32 Qualitative approach... 35 Quantitative approach... 37 Integration of qualitative and quantitative results... 40 Case study site description Ningaloo Marine Park and surrounds... 41 Description of study sites... 51 Chapter 3: Using photo-elicitation to explore the place meanings of campers along the Ningaloo Coast, north-western Australia... 61 Introduction... 62 Methods... 67 Results... 70 Discussion... 77 Conclusion... 80 Chapter 4: The effect of place attachment on pro-environment behavioral intentions of visitors to Ningaloo Marine Park... 85 Introduction... 86 Method... 93 Results... 98 Discussion... 108 Chapter 5: Place attachment and management preferences of visitors to a coastal World Heritage site, Australia... 119 Introduction... 120 Page ix
Methods... 126 Results... 130 Discussion... 139 Conclusion... 144 Chapter 6: Place attachment of visitors to natural areas: A review and future research directions... 149 Introduction... 149 Place research and visitors to natural areas... 151 Research directions... 155 Conclusion... 163 Chapter 7: Conclusions... 169 Addressing research questions and associated objectives... 169 Recommendations for managers... 173 Recommendations for future research... 176 Conclusion... 178 References... 179 Appendices... 189 Appendix 1A... 189 Appendix 1B... 191 Appendix 2... 192 Page x
Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my three supervisors Sue Moore, Lynnath Beckley and Marie Ryan. Each brought their own special touch to this project for which I am truly grateful. To Sue, for enthusiasm for the project and where it could go and her belief in me as a student, to Lynnath for her detailed knowledge of Ningaloo and her real science perspective, and to Marie for her methodological expertise and infectious conceptual thinking. In addition, you have all helped to shape my writing and research skills to an advanced level and challenged me to grow in my conceptual and theoretical thinking. I would like to acknowledge the Department of Environment and Conservation for awarding me the Nature Based Recreation and Tourism Research Award in 2009 and 2010 and to other Department staff for their advice regarding my project, particularly Amanda Smith s team in the Social Research Unit, and the Rangers and staff of the Exmouth District Office. I would also like to acknowledge the financial and in-kind support of the School of Environmental Science, the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Ningaloo Collaboration Cluster as well as Murdoch University for their research and completion scholarships. The pastoral leaseholders of Gnaraloo and Warroora Station as well as the managers of the Peoples and Coral Bay Caravan Parks are also acknowledged and thanked for providing me with the opportunity to speak to visitors camping at their sites. Thanks also to my wonderful field assistants Nick Breheny, Claire Smallwood, Kath Tonge, Brent Pearce and Betty Weiler you helped make long days in the field and the driving more enjoyable. I would also like to thank Ryan Admiraal and Fiona Valesini for their statistical assistance and comments on the survey development. To Page xi
all the students I have shared the office with over the last few years Jen, Emily, Wendy, Caitlin, Sarah, Melissa, Shannon, Omar and Jim thank you for listening to me when I needed to vent, for distracting me when I needed distraction and general support and camaraderie in this journey of post-graduate research. Finally to my wonderful family, to my sister Clare and my Dad Ken, thank you for believing in me and your continued encouragement that I am smart enough to do this. To my wonderful Mum Kath, for inspiring me to love knowledge, providing support while in the field and whenever I needed it and for giving the Coral Bay Research Station that best clean it would have had in years! Last but by no means least, is my thanks to my awesome husband Brent. Words cannot express how grateful I am to you for giving me this opportunity and for sharing this journey with me. Your love, support and belief in me has certainly kept me going these last three years. Page xii