Towards Understanding User Perceptions of a Tourist-based Environmental Monitoring System: An Exploratory Case Study

Abstract

This paper examines user perceptions of a tourist-based environmental monitoring system which supports park visitor engagement with the environmental monitoring of specific sites within two National and one Regional Park in Victoria, Australia. The system allows park visitors (tourists) to actively participate in the care and management of the park by voluntarily contributing to web-based photographic records. The primary objective of this exploratory case study research is to identify who the tourist users are, their perceptions of the system, their motivation for using it, and the benefits that they perceive are derived from using the system. The study found that respondents indicated a strong concern for the environment and appreciated the simplicity of the system and the on-going connection it provides to the park-management process. Importantly, respondents found the system to be a valuable source of engagement with the environmental monitoring and management process.

Key words:

• nature-based tourism
• national parks
• tourist-based environmental monitoring
• repeat photography

Notes

1 For a more detailed discussion of the repeat photography technique and a summary of its history in America and Australia, see Pickard (2002).

2 Multiple answers were possible.