11 Playfulness and Game Play: Using Geocaching to Engage Young People’s Well-being in a National Park

2021 ◽  
pp. 210-236
Author(s):  
Sara MacBride-Stewart ◽  
Clare Parsons ◽  
Ilona Carati
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5013
Author(s):  
Dan Zhu ◽  
Degang Yang

Identifying how policy, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors influence changes in human well-being (HWB) and conservation efficiency is important for ecological management and sustainable development, especially in the Giant Panda National Park (GPNP). In this study, we systematically analyzed the differences in the conservation status of the giant panda habitat and changes in HWB over 15 years in the GPNP, which includes six mountain sites, Minshan (MS), Qionglai (QLS), Xiaoxiangling (XXL), Liangshan (LS), Qinling (QL), and Daxiangling (DXL). Redundancy analyses were used to determine the factors contributing (policy, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors) to HWB and giant panda habitat conservation (HC). In addition, using a structural equation model (SEM), we investigated the relationship between the aforementioned three factors and their direct and indirect effects on HWB and HC. The results indicated that there was spatiotemporal heterogeneity of HWB and HC in our study area. There was an increasing number of plant species as well as an increased number of giant panda in GPNP. Generally, HWB in 2015 showed an increasing trend compared with that in 2000. Socioeconomic factors (23.6%) have the biggest influence on HWB and HC, followed by policy (23.2%) and environmental factors (19.4%). Conservation policy had a significantly positive influence on HWB (0.52), while it negatively influenced HC (−0.15). Socioeconomic factors significantly negatively influenced HWB (−0.38). The formulation and implementation of policies to promote economic development will contribute to the protection of giant pandas and their habitat. Our results provide insight on the conservation status of the giant panda habitat, HWB, and factors influencing them in different mountain sites in the GPNP, as well as having implications for the future management of the GPNP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Muniyandi Balasubramanian

Forest ecosystem services have played a vital role in human well-being. Particularly, recreational ecosystem services are creating physical and mental well-being for human beings. Therefore, the main objective of the paper is to estimate the economic value of recreational ecosystem services provides by recreational sites such as Nandi Hills and Nagarhole National Park based on the individual travel cost method in Karnataka, India. This study has used a random sampling method for 300 tourist visitors to recreational sites. The present study has also estimated the consumer surplus of the visitors. The results of the study have found that (i) economic value of two creational sites has been estimated at US $323.05 million, (ii) the consumer surplus has been estimated for Nandi Hills at US $7.45 and Nagarhole National Park at US $3.16. The main implication of the study is to design the entry fees for the recreational site and sustainable utilization of recreational ecosystem services for the present and future generations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Md. Rahimullah Miah ◽  
Mohamed Sharif Mustaffa ◽  
Samsiah Jayos ◽  
Nor Hasniah Ibrahim ◽  
Sopian Bujang ◽  
...  

The explorative field observation on Environmental Conservation Psychology (ECP) is multi-diversified with collective and conjectural outlook. ECP provides a better understanding of the way in which conservation awareness, attitude, ethics, culture and well-being are affected by physical environments, social settings and built-in environment. The goal is to stimulate more attention be paid to ensure the effectiveness of environmental conservation and highlight psychological instruments required to develop new interdisciplinary approaches with innovative ways in prevailing challenges for the present and upcoming generations. Primary data were collected from a sample of respondents at the Lawachara National Park (LNP) in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh and secondary data were obtained from diverse sources. The research denoted and investigated by various disciplines and fields including environmental behaviors studies, positive psychology, person-environment studies, human-nature science and ecological psychology. The study showed about 70% of indigenous respondents opined on positive attitudes for environmental conservation to compare with 55% in others. The study identified approximately 65% of respondents stated for development of environmental education among local communities for promoting positive psychology surrounding the national park. This study focuses the importance of understanding this multidimensional psychological research as it is to inform about the environmental conservation perspectives that have contributed to and shaped the learning with high internal conservation stability, dependability, uniformity, and attractiveness with social bonding at LNP. This study represents the environmental design, manage, protect and restore conserving of biodiversity towards national parks that influence human behavior, predict and the likely outcomes when these conditions are not met and diagnose problem situations. This study links at solving complex environmental conservation problems in the pursuit of individual well-being within a longer community through human-environment conservation interactions.


Author(s):  
Boaventura DaCosta ◽  
Soonhwa Seok

The first of two chapters, a study is presented that quantitatively examined the adolescent and young adult “casual” video game player. A total of 1,950 South Korean students self-reported their game play on mobile phones by answering a 92-item questionnaire designed to capture data on technology ownership; preference for game genre and titles; where and how often games were played; what factors influence game selection, what game features were the most desirable, the rationale behind playing games, and psychophysical changes experienced as a result of playing; as well as, spending habits with regard to game purchases. The findings supported many of the claims made about the casual player, revealing, for example, that mobile games are predominately played for short periods of time, in between activities, and as a means to combat boredom. Adding credence to the idea that mobile game play can be viewed as a casual activity. Results also revealed potentially positive benefits, to include improved mood and feelings of well-being along with better mental attention and focus.


Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pushpinder S. Jamwal ◽  
Jigmet Takpa ◽  
Michael H. Parsons

AbstractHemis National Park of the Trans-Himalayas is home to a large population of the snow leopard Panthera uncia and increasing numbers of agro-pastoralists. To persist in this harsh terrain, farmers have to either farm livestock or hunt free-ranging, native ungulates. The availability of more livestock and fewer natural prey created a dynamic whereby snow leopards depredated livestock, followed by retaliatory killing of snow leopards. In 1992, to assist farmers and wildlife, the government enacted a cost-compensation scheme. Following a decade with marginally fewer depredation events, in 2002, two additional strategies were implemented: predator-proof holding pens and the Himalayan Homestay Programme. We assessed 22 years (1992–2013) of depredation data, comparing the periods before and after the additional initiatives. Government records showed that during 1992–2013, 1,624 livestock were depredated from 339 sites, with c. USD 15,000 paid as compensation. There were significantly more kills annually before (a mean of 41) than after (3.5) the initiatives, and mass killings (≥ 5 animals killed per attack) were significantly reduced from 5.5 to 0.5 events per year. Goats and sheep (57%) and horses (13%) comprised the majority of losses. The marked reduction in depredation occurred whilst regulations against hunting were being enforced, probably resulting in an increase in the number of wild prey as alternative food. We conclude that together, cost-compensation, tighter hunting regulations, improved holding pens and the Homestay Programme helped support the well-being of the community while aiding conservation efforts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 202049
Author(s):  
Niklas Johannes ◽  
Matti Vuorre ◽  
Andrew K. Przybylski

People have never played more video games, and many stakeholders are worried that this activity might be bad for players. So far, research has not had adequate data to test whether these worries are justified and if policymakers should act to regulate video game play time. We attempt to provide much-needed evidence with adequate data. Whereas previous research had to rely on self-reported play behaviour, we collaborated with two games companies, Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America, to obtain players' actual play behaviour. We surveyed players of Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Animal Crossing: New Horizons for their well-being, motivations and need satisfaction during play, and merged their responses with telemetry data (i.e. logged game play). Contrary to many fears that excessive play time will lead to addiction and poor mental health, we found a small positive relation between game play and affective well-being. Need satisfaction and motivations during play did not interact with play time but were instead independently related to well-being. Our results advance the field in two important ways. First, we show that collaborations with industry partners can be done to high academic standards in an ethical and transparent fashion. Second, we deliver much-needed evidence to policymakers on the link between play and mental health.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Indah Riadi Putri ◽  
Lies Rahayu Wijayanti Faida ◽  
Chafid Fandeli ◽  
Ris Hadi Purwanto

Culture can form civilization or tradition in meeting the needs and well being of the people involved in the environment. One of form the human culture is a work of art. Artwork reveals the attitudes, processes, Symbolics meaning in the form of movement, carvings, paintings, material realized from social and cultural knowledge. Cultural attractions have a high appeal because it has a special value in the form of art performances, traditional ceremonies, the noble values that are contained in an object of man's work in the past. People have a variety of cultural art that consists of various traditions ceremonies, art performances, habits of indigenous people in life. It can be a potential cultural attraction for tourists who visit the National Park area of Mount Merbabu in District Selo, Boyolali regency. The purpose of this research is to know the traditions of performance, art, and culture the people of Selo, Merbabu Mountain National Park, Boyolali Central Java. Culture can shape civilization or tradition in the needs and welfare of life for the people involved in its environment. One form of human culture is the work of art, which reveals attitudes, processes, symbols of meaning in the form of movements, carvings, paintings, material embodied from social and cultural knowledge. Social and cultural knowledge embodies special things such as artistic attractions, traditional rituals passed down until to the present day. The meaning of this honor is an expression of gratitude to the spirit of the ancestors who have helped keep the balance of the region and the agriculture of the Selo community to be safe, safe and abundant. This research uses qualitative and quantitative analysis method by measuring distribution/frequency of performance and implementation of tradition/culture of Selo society. The Selo community has various artistic and traditional cultures, including art performances, ancestral honors (sadranan on the 1st night of Suro), clean villages, and thanksgiving for the harvest. The results of the study found that: 1) the tradition of traditional ceremonies in the form of homage to ancestral spirits (ancestors) of 7.1 percent, 2) performances sendratari of 54.52 percent, 3) the use of public buildings with local architecture of Java that serves as a gallery art as much as 59.03 percent, and 4) Community activities work together 75.48 percent. The data also indicates that the traditions and culture of the Selo community, not only as a potential support for tourism but become an integral part of the development of nature tourism in the area of Gunung Merbabu National Park Boyolali, Central Java.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Manuel Amaya ◽  
Doris Esenarro Vargas ◽  
Ciro Rodriguez Rodriguez ◽  
Violeta Vega ◽  
Jorge López Bulnes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the first economic valuation of four environmental attributes of the Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park (PNYCH – Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén) in Peru. Design/methodology/approach This study included households in three cities adjacent to the PNYCH and assessed the willingness to pay (WTP) for preservation efforts of these natural services to avoid the predicted loss in forest area by 2030 (currently 143,425 hectares per year). Findings The results showed that the average WTP was US$0.695 (2.3197 soles) per household annually. Added to all households in Peru (9 million), this is equivalent to approximately 6.255 million dollars annually. Practical implications The economic valuation of these attributes is complementary to the contingent valuation and can have a significant impact, as this data influences decision-making and public policies focused on conserving forests and biodiversity. Social implications Upon using the choice experiment (CE) model, the attributes that have the most significant impact on inhabitants’ well-being were economic benefits. The flora and fauna coverage attributes were beneficial for the inhabitants of the place because they valued the proposed recovery and conservation program in a positive and differential way. Originality/value From the collection of valuable economic data, the novelty lies in using the CE method, which has not yet been applied in valuations of natural ecosystem services in Peru.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudip Pandey ◽  
Siddhartha Bajra Bajracharya

A complex relationship between the residents and protected areas continue to be an obstacle to successful conservation of protected areas. Conflicts between park authority and people living around the park pose a threat to conservation. Moreover, crop depredation due to wildlife incurs a severe economic loss to communities living in the close vicinity of the park, affecting the livelihood and well-being of locals. Many studies have been carried out emphasizing the identification and quantification of crop damage, but studies highlighting the means used for the crop protection and their effectiveness are limited. This paper examines frequency of the crop damage by wildlife and efficacy of utilized management practices in Shivapuri National Park (SNP). Altogether 132 households were visited in two buffer zone villages namely, Sikre and Jhor Mahankhal of Shivapuri National Park, Nepal. The study suggested that crop depredation by wildlife was a function of several factors, namely, distance of the farmland from the park, size of the crop raiding animals, frequency of their attacks on the farmland, and the type of crops. Five different measures were identified by the communities which they regularly used to prevent crop damage. Both traditional as well as modern means were used by households to guard crops from invading wild animals. The means of crop protection from wildlife differed according to the type of animal and crop being protected. Biofencing and trenches were effective for the small animals. Watch tower “Machans” and throwing flaming sticks and making noises were the most effective and safest means of crop guarding from all kind of animals. Though crop guarding was intensive, no means were found to be able to prevent crop damage completely. Thus, site specific management strategies as well as technical and financial support from donor organizations would be most useful to minimize crop loss.Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 16, No.1 (2015) pp. 1-10


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document