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Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 21013

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chi-Ming Hsieh

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Guest Editor

International Bachelor Program of Agribusiness, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
Interests: nature-based tourism; rural tourism; community-based tourism and sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Wan-Yu Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 40227, Taiwan
Interests: forest recreation; forest valuation; sustainable tourism; environmental and resource economics; and climate change and forest carbon sequestration analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, nature-based tourism locations such as parks or forest recreation areas have become increasingly popular due to their rich biodiversity and unique landscapes. They benefit the ecology and economy of the destinations or host communities. For instance, wildlife tourism can support numerous jobs and contribute to the local economy, increasing community support for conservation. Responsible nature-based tourism also prevents ecosystem degradation through the preservation or conservation of more sustainable livelihoods. Thus, it could represent a solution for balancing a destination and its environment, due to lower carbon emissions and energy consumption. In addition, nature-based tourism could bring multiple benefits to tourists (e.g., improving mental and physical health, or sociocultural and educational benefits). It plays a critical role in the ecological education of tourists, and provides opportunities to interact with nature. Nature-based tourism industries could cooperate with governments and organizations to establish environment or conservation policies for aiding ecosystem monitoring or raising environmental awareness. This Special Issue will provide an overview of recent advances in nature-based tourism locations, such as national parks, forests, wilderness areas, etc. This Special Issue is aimed at providing selected diverse practices or advances in biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and human health through nature-based tourism.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Nature-based tourism or tourists;
Sustainability of tourism destinations;
Forest recreation;
Environmentally responsible behavior;
Environmental education;
National parks, forests, and wilderness areas;
Biodiversity conservation;
Environmental preservation.

Prof. Dr. Chi-Ming Hsieh
Prof. Dr. Wan-Yu Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nature-based tourism
park or forest recreation
carbon emissions or energy consumption
environmentally responsible behavior
educational and experiential benefits
biodiversity conservation

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1403 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Residents’ Perception-Based Typology of Forest Landscape: A Case Study of Changsha, Central China

by Chen Wang and Fen Luo

Forests 2022, 13(10), 1642; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101642 - 07 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1394

Abstract

Forest management typically concentrates on biophysical phenomena, while social dimensions are relatively neglected in China. This manuscript aims to develop a typology of forest landscapes based on the individual perception in a cultural context of China with a random sample of 210 residents by utilizing the landscape image sketching technique. The results demonstrated that the typology of forest landscapes could be classified into ‘a recreational space,’ ‘an idealized homeland,’ ‘an untouched forest,’ and ‘a utopian forest.’ These types of forest landscapes suggest new ways of working with the public to achieve management goals of protecting and improving forest education and experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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22 pages, 1228 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Tourists’ Perceived Value and Sense of Social Responsibility on the Low-Carbon Consumption Behavior Intention: A Case Study of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

by Hongjing Li, Peiyu Qu and Fen Luo

Forests 2022, 13(10), 1594; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101594 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2078

Abstract

People’s increasing attention towards environmental issues and carbon emission level per capita of consumption has made the influencing factors of low-carbon consumption behavior a research hotspot. In this study, a random sample of tourists in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China were surveyed by questionnaire to examine the impact of tourists’ perceived value and sense of social responsibility on the low-carbon consumption behavior intention. Results suggest that tourists’ perceived value has a direct and significant positive effect on the sense of social responsibility and low-carbon consumption behavior intention. Tourists’ sense of social responsibility demonstrates a significant positive impact on consumption attitude, with the latter having a positive impact on tourists’ low-carbon consumption behavior intention. A sense of social responsibility and the consumption attitude are found to play an important intermediary role between perceived value and tourists’ low-carbon consumption behavior intention. Some suggestions for managing and promoting tourists’ low-carbon consumption behavior intention are also put forward in this paper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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23 pages, 4605 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Protected Areas Exacerbate Rural Shrinkage? Research on China’s Gaoligong Mountain Region from an Institutional-Space Perspective

by Hu Yu, Linlin Xu, Sisi Li, Yajuan Li and Jiaming Li

Forests 2022, 13(10), 1567; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101567 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1326

Abstract

China’s territorial development is subject to multiple influences in new political, social, and economic contexts. In an era of increased globalization and urbanization, the construction of protected areas (PAs) as part of globalization has had a “double-edged sword” effect on China’s rural development; their impact has left a deep imprint on rural development, and understanding their relationship helps to achieve multiple goals. This paper discusses the changes in the urban–town–village system in the region where the Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve is located in China and attempts to analyze the impact of PAs on rural shrinkage. We found that the institutional embedding of PAs as a policy tool has led to regional differentiation and village shrinkage and expansion. Secondly, PAs stimulate changes in evolutionary paths in different types of villages by common forces through demographic, factor, capital, and policy constraints or incentives; however, the formation of new industrial spaces of ecotourism has a damping effect. We conclude that the embedding of PAs has led to a reconfiguration of spatial rights and capital in regional development, changing the original path of rural development. Adaptive development strategies must be established to safeguard this in future development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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19 pages, 2774 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Giving Voice to Tourists: Improving the Governance of Protected Areas through Tourists’ Perceptions and Expectations

by Bojie Wang, Siyuan He, Yehong Sun and Qingwen Min

Forests 2022, 13(9), 1523; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091523 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1459

Abstract

Although numerous studies have explored the role of government, conservation managers and local residents in the governance of protected areas, little attention has been paid to the role of tourists. Based on a field survey and a network-based content analysis of tourists’ perceptions and expectations of Wuyishan National Park, this research sought to promote the governance of national parks by strengthening the tourists’ influence. The results showed that: (1) tourists had a changing, but still narrow understanding of the national park’s functions, (2) tourists’ expectations of tourism and recreational functions are growing more diversified, and (3) lack of information restrained them from making an effective contribution to conservation. The results suggest that tourists can be effective in conservation governance with the aid of better publicity and closer interactions with other stakeholders. This study has theoretical and managerial implications for understanding the role of tourists in the governance of national parks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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17 pages, 3424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Climate Change and Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions of Forest Recreation Area Users—A Case of Taiwan

by Min-Yen Chang, Hung-Yu Kuo and Han-Shen Chen

Forests 2022, 13(9), 1476; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091476 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2076

Abstract

This study aims to extend the theory of planned behavior to explore climate change perception, adaptation intention, and behavioral patterns of PEB of tourists in the Xitou Nature Education Area (XNEA) in Taiwan. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlation among various variables using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from the close-ended question questionnaires; sample size (n = 626). SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 for Windows were used as tools for analysis. The results are as follows: the perception of tourists on climate change exerts a significant positive effect on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, which, in turn, exerts significant positive effects on climate change adaptation intentions. Furthermore, climate change adaptation intentions exert a significant positive influence on the behavioral patterns of PEB. Finally, political trust exerts a moderating effect on the relationship between subjective norms and climate change adaptation intentions and between perceived behavioral control and climate change adaptation intentions. Our findings indicate that it is necessary to encourage awareness of climate change, and that it is also very important to increase the value of political trust when making environmental policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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18 pages, 1994 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Spatial Pattern and Spillover Effect of the Eco-Efficiency of Regional Tourism from the Perspective of Green Development: An Empirical Study in China

by Sidi Li, Teng Ren, Binbin Jia and Yongde Zhong

Forests 2022, 13(8), 1324; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081324 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1811

Abstract

Scientifically analyzing the spatial pattern and spillover effect of the eco-efficiency of regional tourism embodies the green development theory. In addition, it is also of important significance for realizing the sustainable development of regional tourism and promoting regional ecological civilization. This study incorporates energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of tourism into the efficiency evaluation index system. On this basis, the slacks-based measure–data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) with undesirable output, the spatial autocorrelation (SAC) model and the spatial Durbin model (SDM) are used to study the spatial pattern and spillover effect of the eco-efficiency of provincial tourism in China from 2008 to 2017. Results show that the following: (1) The average eco-efficiency of national tourism is 0.534, which is at the medium development level as a whole. Among the decomposed efficiencies of eco-efficiency, the scale efficiency drives the optimal development of eco-efficiency in tourism. (2) The eco-efficiency of tourism shows a spatial differentiation pattern on the regional scale as follows: it is the highest in the central region, moderate in the western region, and lowest in the eastern region. (3) The degree of clustering of the eco-efficiency of tourism first increases and then decreases. The SAC-based cluster pattern is dominated by a low-low (LL) cluster, followed successively by a high-high (HH) cluster and a low-high (LH) outlier, while a high-low (HL) outlier is the least significant (4). Among the influencing factors, the technical level shows spatial spillover effects on both the eco-efficiency and pure technical efficiency of tourism; the economic development level and traffic accessibility mainly have spatial spillover effects on the pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of tourism; the industrial structure and environmental regulation separately have a spatial spillover effect only on the pure technical efficiency and the scale efficiency of tourism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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16 pages, 1688 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Recreational Visit to Suburban Forests during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Taiwan

by Yung-Chih Chen, Frank C. Tsai, Ming-Jer Tsai and Wan-Yu Liu

Forests 2022, 13(8), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081181 - 25 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2094

Abstract

COVID-19 global pandemic has caused massive disruption of travel behaviors along with other aspects of human life, such as social distancing, staying at home, and avoiding crowds. People substituted outdoor activities for indoor activities, and the forest environment has become a popular alternative. Taiwan has a high population density, but it had few COVID-19 confirmed cases in 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. No forest areas have been closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In light of this generally increased demand for suburban forests for recreational uses, the current COVID-19 pandemic situation poses specific challenges regarding forest use, management, and policy. This study integrates visitation numbers of the popular forest recreation area and selects the unblocking index and social distancing index as the COVID-19 index to capture the impacts of forest recreation area on the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. The results show both COVID-19 indices have high explanatory power for suburban forest visitation and both have a significant impact on the number of visitors. Although the number of visitors to suburban forests decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic alert, it bounced when the COVID-19 outbreak was under control. This study provides a brief overview of management implications for recreational visits during COVID-19. We posed an early warning to forest managers for greater revenge traveling post-COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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18 pages, 4441 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decline or Rejuvenation? Efficiency Development of China’s National Scenic Areas

by Linlin Xu, Hu Yu and Bin Zhou

Forests 2022, 13(7), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13070995 - 24 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2166

Abstract

The decline is one of the essential issues for developing tourism destinations. The rapid adoption of appropriate policies will enable them to reverse the decline and enter the rejuvenation stage in time. This study advocated establishing an operational evaluation model of tourism efficiency with DEA and the super-SBM model to estimate when China’s mass tourism destinations are in decline and rejuvenation based on the tourism area life cycle (TALC) theory regarding China’s national scenic areas (NSAs) samples. The results show that the development of China’s mass tourism destinations can be divided into three phases, in which there is a clear process of persistent decline and rejuvenation. Different types of NSAs vary in terms of efficiency level and change trends. Human landscape, caves, and wetland and lakes all have distinct phases of persistent decline, but humanistic landscapes show a significant rejuvenation trend. These findings provide an innovative re-interpretation of the TALC model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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17 pages, 1921 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Emotional State, Psychological Resilience, and Travel Intention to National Forest Park during COVID-19

by Lisheng Weng, Yawen Wu, Guang Han, Huifang Liu and Feng Cui

Forests 2022, 13(5), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050750 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2416

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism industry worldwide. This study examines the relationships among potential tourists’ emotional states, psychological resilience, and their travel intention to a national forest park in the context of COVID-19. It also investigates the moderating effect of gender. Kanas National Forest Park on the northwestern border of China was chosen as the research case. The survey questionnaires were administered both online and offline to collect data. A total of 492 valid questionnaires were collected (263 from online and 229 from offline) and analyzed in this study. Results demonstrate that visitors’ positive emotions have significant positive effects on their psychological resilience and travel intention. Yet, visitors’ negative emotions have significant negative effects on psychological resilience and travel intention. Moreover, psychological resilience partially mediates the relationship between emotional state and travel intention, indicating that visitors’ positive emotion and negative emotion can not only directly affect travel intention, but also indirectly affect travel intention through psychological resilience. The results of moderating effect analysis indicate that men and women are found to have differences in the experience of emotion, and women are more advised to foster positive emotions and psychological resilience. Visitors are advised to advocate more mutual encouragement, and tourism practitioners are recommended to provide tailored services to reduce travel anxiety. Findings provide implications on emotional regulation for tourists and crisis management strategies for nature-based tourism destinations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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17 pages, 3518 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Ecotourism Sustainability Indicators for Protected Areas in Tehran, Iran

by Parvaneh Sobhani, Hassan Esmaeilzadeh, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi, Marina Viorela Marcu and Isabelle D. Wolf

Forests 2022, 13(5), 740; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050740 - 10 May 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2853

Abstract

Ecotourism in protected areas facilitates responsible travel to natural places that conserve the environment, deliver economic benefits to local communities, and offer interpretation and education to visitors. Proper planning and sufficient monitoring of ecotourism sustainability indicators is needed to manage visitor activities in protected areas. Therefore, identifying the major impacts and mitigating them in the early stages of ecotourism development could contribute significantly to the achievement of sustainable development. There is a current gap between the situation in the field and academic contributions to this problem in protected areas of Iran. In the present study, we evaluated ecotourism sustainability levels in four different types of protected areas in Iran, including Lar National Park, Jajrud Protected Area with Sustainable Use of Natural Resource Areas, Tangeh Vashi National Natural Monument, and Kavdeh Wildlife Refuge. We developed a comprehensive list of ecotourism sustainability indicators, including 38 indicators in the environmental–physical dimension, 42 indicators in the demographic–social dimension, and 30 indicators in the economic–institutional dimension. Harnessing local community expertise, we adopted a Delphi approach to determine sustainability levels and factors impacting sustainability. Ecotourism in Lar National Park was most sustainable because of the high levels of restrictions protecting the area and the difficulty in access. Conversely, ecotourism sustainability was lowest at Tangeh Vashi National Natural Monument, which allowed for an uncontrolled influx of visitors. We discuss further factors that impact sustainability, such as population growth, expanding urbanization, an increase in physical and economic activities, and extended annual periods of ecotourism activities. Although the presented ecotourism sustainability indicators are specific to Iran, this study can also be seen to provide a template to plan for sustainable ecotourism in other countries. Altogether, our results suggest conducting a type-by-type analysis of the particular circumstances of various protected areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Tourism and Nature Conservation Activation by Tourism)

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