Understanding consumer behaviour and adaptation planning responses to climate-driven environmental change in Canada's parks and protected areas: a climate futurescapes approach

Abstract

Parks and protected areas are a global ecological, social and health resource visited by over 8 billion people annually. Their use can yield substantial benefits, but only if a balance between ecological integrity and sustainable visitation is struck. This research explores the potential influence of climate-driven environmental change on visitation to North America's most popular glacier, the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park, Canada. Photorealistic environmental visualizations were used to gauge visitors’ perceptions of environmental change and potential impacts on consumer behaviour. Results suggest that impacts could substantially diminish the site's pull as a tourism destination. Rather than improving visitation prospects, expert-proposed adaptations underestimated the importance of perceived naturalness and contributed to further potential decline. Findings are relevant to protected areas planning and management. They suggest that a natural path to climate change adaptation is the best way to support both ecological integrity and the long-term tourism pull of protected areas.

Keywords:

• climate change adaptation
• visitor motivations
• protected areas
• environmental visualization
• naturalness

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Melissa Weber and Mike Hagerty for their contributions to the project.

Disclosure statement

The authors receive no financial interest or benefit from the direct application of their research.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada under [grant number 430-2012-0441] and by a Wilfred Laurier University short-term research grant.