Outdoor recreation: from analysing motivations to furthering ecologically responsible behaviour

Abstract

Outdoor-recreation activities can have negative effects on nature. The Swiss authorities and sport associations have, therefore, been trying to encourage people to behave more responsibly towards nature during outdoor recreation. To provide scientific support for this, the study aimed at: 1) clari-fying people’s motivations for outdoor recreation and in particular how important experiencing nature is for them; 2) analysing the predictors of ecologically responsible recreation behaviour according to Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, and 3) evaluating concrete intervention measures to further such behaviour. To this end qualitative interviews, a representative survey as well as intervention experiments were conducted in Switzerland. The results of the nationwide survey showed that “experiencing nature “ is one of the most important motivational factors, whereas experiencing thrill is not as important as it is often assumed. Regression models revealed the importance of Ajzen’s general predictors of ecological behaviour as well as the significance of specific factors such as landscape preferences. Combining prompts and information, and providing suitable infrastructure are recommended to encourage people to be more eco logically responsible in their outdoor recreation.