scholarly journals Perceptions and satisfaction of human–animal encounters in protected areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-458
Author(s):  
Martina Dell'Eva ◽  
Consuelo Rubina Nava ◽  
Linda Osti

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the role of animals in creating a satisfactory experience at a natural park by investigating the impact on visitors of the exposure to, or absence of, fauna, towards the visitors’ overall experience. Design/methodology/approach The work is based on a quantitative data collection of tourists visiting a nature park. Altogether, 532 valid questionnaires were collected and used for the analysis. A series of factor analyses was conducted on pull and push factors for animal encounters. The resulting factor domains (FDs) were used as independent variables in ordinal logistic regression models to describe customer satisfaction. Findings The results of this study show that important FDs characterize the main visitor characteristics. Although human–animal encounters are an important factor for some visitors, the encounters should be encouraged in the most natural manner possible and not in captivity. This brings us to the concept of “Interpretation”, where guides and guided tours can help with the encounters. Information given prior to and during the visit can ensure visitors are aware that animal encounters are subject to nature and cannot be guaranteed. Originality/value The presence of areas where a number of animals are in captivity and can be viewed by visitors is an important decision for national parks and protected areas, as animals represent a potential attraction for visitors. Nevertheless, this decision creates an ethical dilemma in relation to the exploitation of animals, exacerbated by recent and increasing pressure on sustainable management. This study provides valuable results for guiding park managers in making reasoned decisions.

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 28-40
Author(s):  
Johanna Fernández B ◽  
Kirstie Robertson

Conservation biology aims to stop habitat loss and extinction of species. To achieve these goals there are several methods such as the establishment of natural reserves and national parks that in synthesis work as protected areas. However, the management of areas with high conservation priorities can be a challenge to conservation biology and all of the professionals involved in this process.The Colombian National Natural Park, Los Katios, hosts more than the 20% of Colombian biodiversity and is located in a region which is characterised as being one of the most biodiverse and endemic points on the planet. The park was declared a World Humanity Heritage Area in 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and on the 8th of July 2009, the Colombian government solicited to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee the inclusion of the park on the list of World Heritage in Danger due to the pressures from illegal activities and inefficient surveillance in the area.Through the case of study of Los Katios National Natural Park, this review looks explores the extent to which the socio-economic situation and the internal crises of a country can influence the effectiveness of the conservation programs in protected areas. It also explains the relevance of National Natural Parks and the effects that some factors, such as violence; illegal crops; poverty; and environmental budget, can have on the performance of the conservation biology.This review concludes that the conservation of protected areas in countries with deep internal crises, such as in the case of Los Katios in Colombia, cannot be based solely on the fundamental conservation goals and that it is necessary to include government priorities and some strategies to counteract social issues as violence, poverty and insufficient funds when creating management plans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 1859-1877
Author(s):  
José Fernández-Menéndez ◽  
Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz ◽  
José-Ignacio López-Sánchez ◽  
María Isabel Delgado-Piña

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study how job reductions affect product innovation and marketing innovation in a sample of 2,034 Spanish manufacturing firms in the period 2007–2014.Design/methodology/approachPoisson and logistic regression models with random effects were used to analyse the impact of downsizing on some innovation outcomes of firms.FindingsThe results of this research show that the stressful measure of job reductions may have unexpected consequences, stimulating innovation. However downsizing combined with radical organisational changes such as new equipment, techniques or processes seems to have a negative impact on product and marketing innovation.Originality/valueThis research has two original features. First, it explores the unconventional direction of causality from the planned elimination of jobs to innovation outputs. Secondly, the paper looks at the combined effect of downsizing and other restructuring measures on different types of innovation. Following the threat-rigidity theory, we assume that this combination represents a major threat for survivors that leads to lower levels of product and marketing innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko ◽  
Zuzana Botiková ◽  
Joanna Poczta

The practice of active and qualified tourism in national parks in Poland and Slovakia has longstanding traditions. Primarily, these parks have been a place of individual recreational activity, as well as a place to educate and convene with nature. Recently, sport tourism, which is characterized by the participation of tourists in mass organized sporting events mainly of a competitive nature, has been gaining more popularity. Even though this activity takes place in protected areas, sports are the main priority, rather than educational goals. Natural values have the primary function of enriching emotional experiences, and exploring wildlife is not an end in itself. Running events are now at the head of the list as the most popular sporting events in Poland and in Slovakia. The authors of the article focused on protected areas in Poland and Slovakia, largely because these countries were considering organizing one of the world’s biggest sports events together: The Winter Olympic Games (2022). The purpose of the study was to recognize the attitude of Polish and Slovak national park authorities toward the organization of mass sports events in protected areas. A diagnostic survey was conducted using the method of interviews with the directors of Polish and Slovak national parks. The research results shed light on the current state of development of sports event tourism in protected areas in the two countries. The article examines the response of Polish and Slovak park authorities to the changes of the current era of shifting societal needs regarding physical development, in particular with regard to the sustainability of protected areas. Currently, there is a lack of a strategic approach toward the development of sports tourism in national parks in Poland and Slovakia. The answers given in the interviews create an image that indicates a differentiated approach to the issue of permitting the organization of sports events in the areas of national parks. It turns out that the practice in these areas is different in individual parks. The diagnosis presented in the article indicates that it is necessary to undertake interdisciplinary and international research among environmentalists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, and physical culture specialists in order to develop methods for measuring the impact of sporting events organized in natural areas in this part of Europe.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 654-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Matricano

Purpose According to an emerging research trend, which seeks to apply the concept of intellectual capital (IC) to the field of entrepreneurship, the purpose of this paper is to test whether IC can affect the start-up expectations of aspiring entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Binary logistic regression models, based on empirical data derived from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor website and referring to Italy over the years 2005-2010, are used to test the influence of IC (comprising human, structural and relational capital) on start-up expectations. Findings Binary logistic regression models reveal robust results. Human, structural and relational capitals affect start-up expectations in Italy. Only in 2010 did structural capital fail to do so. Research limitations/implications This study has three main limitations. The first concerns the need for further research to confirm the influence of IC on start-up expectations. The second concerns in-depth, more exhaustive analyses that cannot be carried out due to the use of second- hand data. The third deals with the reference only to Italy, over a limited time-span (2005-2010). Originality/value To the best knowledge of the author, this is one of the first empirical studies that investigate whether IC can affect start-up expectations. Results revealed by the regression models might steer other scholars’ interest toward this research path (linking IC and entrepreneurship) that has not yet been properly considered.


Author(s):  
M. Toker ◽  
E. Çolak ◽  
F. Sunar

Abstract. Protected areas are important with land or water body ecosystems that have biodiversity, flora and fauna species. In Turkey, National Parks are one of the protected areas managed according to the National Parks Law No. 2873. Among them, the İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park, located in İğneada town in the province of Kırklareli, Turkey has been declared as a national park in 2007, and has an importance being a rare ecosystem, which consists of wetland, swamp, lakes and coastal sand dunes. Planning of Protected Areas can be done in a variety of ways, taking into account the balance of protection/use and should follow policies and guidelines. Today, for the sustainability and effective management of forest ecosystems, remote sensing technology provides an effective tool for assessing and monitoring ecosystem health at different temporal and spatial scales. In this study, potential temporal changes in the National Park were analyzed with Landsat satellite time series images using two different methods. First method, the Landtrendr algorithm (Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery) developed for multitemporal satellite data, uses pixel values as input data and analysis them by using regression models to capture, label and map the changes. In this context, Landsat satellite time series images were taken quinquennial between 1987 and 2007 and biennially until 2017 for Landtrendr analysis (i.e. before and after its declaration as a National Park, respectively). As a second approach, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud-based platform, which facilitates access to high-performance computing resources to process large long-term data sets, was used to analyze the impact of land cover changes. The results showed that the area was subjected to various pressures (i.e. due to illegal felling, pollution, etc.) until it was declared as a National park. Although there was general improvement and recovery after the region declared as a Park, it was seen that the sensitive dynamics of the region require continuous monitoring and protection using geo-information technologies.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251383
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Maksanova ◽  
Taisiya Bardakhanova ◽  
Natalia Lubsanova ◽  
Darima Budaeva ◽  
Arnold Tulokhonov

The impact of protected areas on local communities is the subject of intense discussions as part of the implementation of the global ecosystem protection agenda. Conflicts between the interests of environmental protection and the needs of socio-economic development become particularly acute when large areas of land are taken out of economic circulation as a result of organizing protected areas. In this case, there is an urgent need for detailed and reliable information about the social impacts of such land withdrawal on the well-being of the local population. An analysis of the methodological approaches widely presented in the literature, used to assess the social impact of protected areas, testifies to the insufficiency of completed and practically applicable methodological guidelines for the areas with significant restrictions for people who form part of the protected landscape. In this study, we understand the cost estimate of the social impact of national parks on the local population as a quantitative calculation of the losses due to restrictions on their ownership rights to land and property assets. The methodological approach consists in considering the category of losses as a sum total of the actual damage and lost profits. The assessment algorithm includes three stages: systematization of social impacts on citizens, development of indicators and data collection, and calculation of actual damage to the population and lost profits. The assessment is performed using the example of the Tunkinsky National Park located in the Tunkinsky municipal district of the Republic of Buryatia, a region of the Russian Federation, where there are 14 rural settlements with a population of more than 20,000 people. The results of the calculations show that the losses of the rural population due to legal restrictions on the registration of land dealings amount to 170.4 million USD. Taking into account the potential amount of administrative fines and the value of property subject to demolition, the losses amount to 239.2 million USD. It is more than an order of magnitude greater than the amount of own revenues of the Tunkinsky municipal district in 2011–2019. The results obtained demonstrate the real picture of the impact of restrictions on the rights of local people to land within the boundaries of national parks and are useful for developing measures to account for their interests and include protected areas in the socio-economic development of regions. The methodological approach developed by the authors can be used in other national parks, where it is necessary to optimize the policy of improving land use for local residents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 542-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Kwiatek ◽  
Marsela Thanasi-Boçe

Purpose Loyalty programs (LPs) in a business-to-business (B2B) context have been under-researched when compared to consumer markets. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if and to what extent the loyalty program activity (LPA) based on recency, frequency and monetary framework reflects the effectiveness of a specific LP. Design/methodology/approach Using the data obtained from 818 business customers enrolled in a LP, logistic regression models are run to find the impact of LPA on the company’s sales. Findings The results suggest that in a linear LP, the frequency of rewards impacts sales the most, compared to recency and amount of points redeemed. The intensity of a LPA is influencing the expected sales in a company. Research limitations/implications The current study is not focused on the redemption patterns and the value of the rewards offered in the program. Limitation of the study only to one country and in a single company does not allow to generalize presented findings. Practical implications Companies should focus their efforts on defining the best level of frequency rewards in their LPs. Reward timing should be considered as a factor that influences the change in customer purchasing behavior more than the amount of points accumulated. Originality/value The research provides empirical evidence to support the highest influence of frequency of rewards on sales, compared to recency and amount of points redeemed. This is one of the few LP studies conducted in the context of the B2B market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 1190-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Heon Lee ◽  
Ananth Chiravuri

Purpose Serial crowdfunding is becoming a common phenomenon as entrepreneurs repeatedly return to online crowdfunding to raise capital. In this study, the authors focus attention on serial crowdfunders, that is, entrepreneurs who experience launching more than one crowdfunding project. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of past experience on subsequent crowdfunding performance. This study also examines whether initial success vs initial failure leads serial crowdfunders to engage in more explorative behaviors (i.e. switching industry) and to take exploitative actions (i.e. adjusting campaign strategies in terms of goal setting and funding option). Design/methodology/approach Data on serial crowdfunding projects was retrieved from Indiegogo platform. The logistic regression models are estimated to assess the impact of past entrepreneurial experience on subsequent crowdfunding decisions, and to estimate the effects of the three strategies on subsequent funding performance. Findings The results show that serial creators who experienced successful initial crowdfunding are more likely to explore a new industry or product category in the crowdfunding market and to set a higher target capital for the subsequent campaign when they change a project category. Originality/value Despite the fact that there are a considerably large number of serial crowdfunders in crowdfunding market, relatively little research has been conducted to investigate the presence of learning benefits from a previous to a subsequent crowdfunding project. Two competing hypotheses, drawn from the attribution theory and hubris theory of entrepreneurship, were tested in this study to determine the impact of prior success vs failure experience on both subsequent crowdfunding decisions and funding performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahime Lotfian Delouyi ◽  
Seyed Hassan Ghodsypour ◽  
Maryam Ashrafi ◽  
Amirali Saifoddin

PurposeReliable operation of natural gas pipeline (NGP) is a critical factor in Iran’s economic development. NGP projects go through different ecosystems and considerably affect the environment. Environmental analysis is an essential step toward sustainable development. Tackling the challenges, this paper aims to develop a framework to systematically assess the environmental impact of NGPs.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a comprehensive framework for environmental impact analysis of NGPs using Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical-Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH). MACBETH protocol is used to calculate the overall environmental scores of projects.FindingsThe results indicate that the impact of implementing NGPs on protected areas is of the highest priority, while the impact on vegetation covers is of least priority for assessing the environmental impact of NGP.Practical implicationsThe practicality and validity of the model in the case of three candidate routes for the Polkale-Neizar project in Iran are examined. According to the results, the third alternative is selected based on its non-interference in protected areas and less environmental impacts. The proposed model can be modified and applied to perform environment appraisal of other linear projects such as energy, road and railway networks.Originality/valueThis model addresses a range of environmental impacts of implementing NGPs at two levels, with the second level being non-additive. The novelty of this study translates into considering the qualitative and quantitative features of each evaluation criterion applied to linear projects simultaneously using a multi-criteria value measurement.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zavin Nazaretian ◽  
Cedrick Heraux ◽  
David Merolla

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to compare the fatality rate of Black and White subjects shot by police. This comparison is meant to explore whether officer-involved shootings (OIS) are impacted more by perceived threat or by demographic characteristics. Beyond race, contextual and officer-level variables are examined for their influence on lethal vs non-lethal police shootings.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes data from the Tampa Bay Times database on police shootings in Florida from 2009 through 2014. Our analysis focuses on the substantive importance of this issue, using the population of OIS in one specific state over a specified time period. The authors also including multinomial logistic regression models analyzing the impact of race, contextual and officer-level variables on the lethal outcome of OIS is clear that the police are shooting at two very different populations.FindingsAlthough Black subjects are disproportionately represented as the subjects of OIS, there was no significant difference in the lethality of such incidents based simply on race. However, when we compare Black subjects to White subjects, it is clear that the police are shooting at two very different populations. Black subjects were younger, less likely to be armed, less likely to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and less likely to have suspected or known mental health considerations than their White counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsThus, it is possible that any racialized difference in the lethality of police shootings is being suppressed because we are comparing very different groups of subjects to one another.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to examine the racial threat that officers experience past the decision to engage in violence. The authors are looking at how they shoot at minorities vs the decision to shoot at minorities.


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