Health and Well-Being in Protected Natural Areas—Visitors’ Satisfaction in Three Different Protected Natural Area Categories in Catalonia, Spain

Abstract

Protected natural areas (PNAs) can be a source of health and well-being, but little research has been carried out regarding outcomes in terms of satisfaction (the difference between motivations and benefits). Inspired by previous research that examines the motivations and benefits perceived by visitors to various PNAs in Canada, and based on importance–performance analysis (IPA) and service quality gap (GAP) analysis theory, the aim of this study was to identify the outcomes generated by protected areas in terms of satisfaction, especially with regard to the PNAs’ individual protection categories. The study was based on survey data from visitors (n = 360) to three PNAs in Catalonia: one national park, one natural park and one periurban park. The results indicate that anticipated environmental, psychological, physical and social benefits were of major personal value in choosing to visit a PNA. The results indicate that, generally, visitors were satisfied with regard to the benefits anticipated. Differences between parks in this respect could be explained in part by sociodemographic factors and visitors’ behavior. The results are discussed in terms of their applicability and how they relate to the role of PNAs in the promotion of visitors’ health and well-being.

Assessment of barriers for people with disability to enjoy national parks

“…In Canada, the Statista Research Department (2021) estimates that around 15.9 million people visited Canadian parks between March 2017 and March 2018. On the other side of the Atlantic, according to the data provided from Europarc-Spain’s statistics on 2017, one million 72 visitors visited Spanish NPs ( Farías-Torbidoni et al, 2020 ). Considering the growing importance and the complexity of tourism in those areas, national policies must ensure nature-based tourism that is equitable for all people taking into consideration its conservation for future generations through good governance ( Chikuta et al, 2021 ; Aguilar-Carrasco et al, 2022 ).…”

“…NP walkability and wheelability around the park’s paths have also been evaluated ( Burns et al, 2009 ; Menzies et al, 2020 ). How planning and management of parks through good governance could improve NPs’ accessibility to make them more inclusive for all people ( Bianchi et al, 2020 ; Farías-Torbidoni et al, 2020 ; Groulx et al, 2021 ) has been described to guide park management and align with the SDGs.…”

Measuring adult health and well-being outcomes associated with nature contact in parks and other forms of protected areas: a scoping review protocol (Preprint)

“…[1][2][3][4] Within this context, parks and other forms of protected areas offer unique opportunities to connect with nature, and considerable research has highlighted the increasingly recognized health benefits afforded by these settings. [5][6][7][8] Globally, there are over 295,000 protected areas covering 16.1% of the Earth's terrestrial/freshwater area and 8.2% of its marine area.…”

Calculating and Mapping the Naturalness of Peri-Urban Greenways

“…Several authors [13,18] have established that trails are mainly used for physical activity. However, in addition to physical exercise, other motivations, such as culture, heritage, or contact with nature drive physical activity on trails [18,22,[26][27][28][29][30]. For example, Farías-Torbidoni [26] analyzed the motivations of hikers in natural areas and concludes that the main reason for walking the trail is related directly to nature (connecting with nature, relaxing and disconnecting, and enjoying the landscape).…”