The practice of outdoor sports has massively increased since the end of the 20th century. According to a study led in France in 2010, 25 million people practice an outdoor sport activity (Thiery 2013). This rise of human presence in the wild is therefore causing more pressure on the environment, including on wildlife. Indeed, habitat use and physiological and behavioural responses appear to be modified by human presence. As managers start to organize and take this emerging issue into consideration, land use restrictions and other awareness campaigns flourish in mountain territories. However, there is only little feedback on the way they are perceived and accepted by visitors.
This talk will rely on an ongoing study on ski touring and snow-shoeing led in three French Alpine mountain ranges during winter 2018. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey (n=670) in natural areas of high human pressure: A Natural Reserve and a Game Preserve (high restrictions), and ordinary nature (no restriction). Amongst other topics, the survey questions (1) visitors’ knowledge of the natural area (fauna and protection statuses), (2) acceptance of the various restrictions aiming to reinforce wildlife protection, such as spatial limitations to ski touring in resting areas for wildlife, (3) visitors’ attitudes towards wildlife. In order to assess these attitudes, we used Fulton et al.’s Wildlife Value Orientation scale (1996). The work of Sterl et al. (2010) on ski touring and attitude towards environmental management in Austria was also adapted and added to Fulton’s scale. This new scale will permit to divide the respondents into profiles defining different degrees of attitude towards wildlife.
We offer to present ski tourers’ knowledge of their playground’s local fauna and protection statuses, as well as their acceptance of spatial restriction to their practice. It will also introduce the different profiles of ski tourers determined thanks to the revised Wildlife Value Orientations scale. The aim is to discuss whether or not attitudes towards wildlife influence the perception of spatial limitations to an outdoor activity. Furthermore, in a sociological perspective, all the above mentioned variables will be studied in the light of the panel’s sociodemographic data.
As data is still being collected, we cannot present final results at the moment. However, results that will be presented is September are expected to include a strong correlation between attitudes towards wildlife and the compliance to spatial limitation. Besides, strong interrelations between sociodemographic data (in particular geographical origins, education and profession) and all the above mentioned variables (knowledge, acceptance and attitude) should also be expected.
Fulton, D. C., Manfredo, M. J., & Lipscomb, J. (1996). Wildlife value orientations: A conceptual and measurement approach. Human dimensions of wildlife, 1(2), 24–47.
Sterl, P., Eder, R., & Arnberger, A. (2010). Exploring factors in influencing the attitude of on-site ski mountaineers towards the ski touring management measures of the Gesäuse National Park. eco. mont-Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research, 2, 31–38.
Thiery, P. (2013). Les sports de nature en France en 2011. Stat-Info, 13-04.
Topics: Natural Resource and Conservation Stakeholders: Managing Expectations and Engageme
