Landscape Preferences of Visitors to the Danube Floodplains National Park, Vienna

Arnberger, Arne; Eder, Renate; Preiner, Stefan; Hein, Thomas; Nopp‐Mayr, Ursula

doi:10.3390/w13162178

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(84 reference statements)

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“…It was examined in our study what kind of stands the national park visitors would prefer for different activities. More fruitful results can be achieved not only by the texts telling about the social and economic benefits of forest areas but also the integration of this information with the photos depicting the forest ecology (Arnberger et al 2021). Although visitors mainly preferred certain stands for certain recreational activities through images shown, we do not know whether they will actually visit and use these sites for those certain recreations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of stand types on recreational preferences of society in the Sub-Alpine Zone, northern Turkey

et al. 2022

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The main objective of this study was to examine how different stand types influenced the tendency of visitors for varying recreational activities (i.e., hiking, trekking, camping and hunting) from 1993 to 2018 in the surrounding areas of Uluyayla Natural Recreation Site in Bartin, northern Turkey. A total of 627 visitors were selected on a voluntary basis, and questioned in the form of questionnaire. Most of the participants were in the age of 21–40 years old, and they were mostly (62.4%) male. Most of the participants (82.7%) lived in cities, while 62.8% of them were tourists when visiting the site. In determining the preferences of the visitors regarding the stand types for different recreational activities, several images of each stand were shared with them, and they were asked which stand type they would prefer for a given recreation activity (i.e., hiking, tracking, camping and hunting). A range of options from 1 to 5 in Likert’s scale was used in evaluating the given responses. The degree of positive and negative effects was examined via trend analysis. It was found that stand type had influence on the preferences of visitors regarding the recreational activities. In general, unmanaged and moderately treated stands were more preferred by visitors for the recreational purposes, compared to the previously managed stands. On the other hand, visitors’ preference for the activities were different during two periods (i.e., 1993–2005 and 2006–2018). For each recreational activity, there was an increasing trend from 1993 to 2018. There had been a continuous increase for hunting since 1996, and for trekking and camping after 1999. The increases between 1993–1996 and 1996–1999 were likely due to the increasing awareness of the society as a result of the training and consciousness raising activities for nature conservation. The demand on the recreational activities continuously increased in unmanaged and moderately treated stands, while no significant changes were examined in the previously managed stands. The study points out that forest planning and management should consider different needs of visitors for recreational infrastructure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of stand types on recreational preferences of society in the Sub-Alpine Zone, northern Turkey

et al. 2022

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“…Meadows in combination with floodplain forests were rated as the most preferred landscape section by visitors in a landscape preference study in the Viennese part of the DANP [5]. Meadows have been part of the DANP landscape for centuries, and long-term visitors may be accustomed to seeing them in the DANP.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on public river preferences has demonstrated that humans prefer larger bodies of open water, natural river landscapes, and fast-flowing streams, while they dislike dead wood in rivers, algae blooms, and muddy water [22][23][24][25]. An image-based preference study asking visitors to the DANP found that natural features, such as floodplain forests in combination with meadows or xeric alluvial biotopes, alleys of trees and gravel trails were preferred, while dense forests, open agrarian structures, and water bodies with 50% reed cover were less preferred [5]. Another Austrian study found that pupils had rather positive attitudes towards and perceptions of natural rivers; nevertheless, few of them perceived natural rivers as useless wilderness [8].…”

Section: River Landscape Preferences and Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main access point of the Lower Austrian part is the village of Orth with close to 2200 inhabitants, where the main visitor center is located. Approximately one million park visits per year were recorded about 20 years ago [39,40] and it is assumed that use loads have drastically increased since then because of settlement development [5,41]. The main period of visitation is between March and October.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Protected natural riverscapes such as river national parks provide a range of ecosystem services and benefits to society; they are not only hotspots for biodiversity but also provide drinking water and food, regulate flood risks, and are important for environmental education, human health, outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism [2][3][4]. While previous research has often addressed tourists' and local residents' preferences for river landscapes [5][6][7][8], little research has analyzed visitors' national park affinity, public understanding and perceptions of and attitudes towards suburban river national parks. [9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Visitors’ Understanding of River National Park Functions and Landscapes

Arnberger

Eder

Preisel

2023

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The assessment of visitor understanding and perceptions of natural landscapes and attitudes towards functions of a river national park is important for the acceptance and success of park management. The study asked 426 visitors to the Donau-Auen (Danube Floodplains) National Park in Eastern Austria about their affinity to the national park brand, their understanding of the river landscapes and attitudes towards the functions of a national park, and to what extent the visitors perceive the Danube Floodplains as a national park at all. The results show that a large proportion of respondents have some understanding of river national parks and their functions. Many respondents have a sense of being in a national park. However, for 60% of the respondents, the national park brand played almost no role in a visit to the national park. Visitors who have a higher affinity for the national park showed a stronger agreement with the functions of a national park. Those images from the Danube Floodplains National Park that depicted natural landscapes were judged by the majority of respondents to be typical of a river national park, but also meadows. Differences regarding the national park landscapes were not found among visitor affinity segments. Implications for environmental communication are presented.

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Urban pondscape connecting people with nature and biodiversity in a medium-sized European city (Geneva, Switzerland)

Vasco,

Perrin,

Oertli

2024

Urban Ecosyst

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The current progressive increase in urbanisation is a contributing factor to the alarming rate of decrease in biodiversity worldwide, so it is critical to propose new solutions that bring nature, and their associated benefits, back to cities. Urban ponds and pondscapes are potential Nature-based Solutions that play a crucial role in the conservation and promotion of biodiversity, as well as providing other ecosystem services. Therefore, it is important to understand people's perception of the contribution that these ponds/pondscapes make in their daily lives. The aim of this study was to assess public perception of the value of the multiple ecosystem services, here referred to as Nature's Contributions to People (NCPs), provided by urban ponds with a focus on biodiversity. To achieve it, we conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey among 331 visitors of urban parks and nature reserves in a medium-sized European city (Geneva, Switzerland). The results show that people highly value the different contributions provided by urban ponds, and that contact with nature is the main motivation for visiting urban pondscapes. Their positive view about the provided NCPs and also their acknowledgement of an improved quality of life suggest a public acceptance of these ponds. We also found that gender and income do not influence public perception of the contributions provided by urban pondscapes. Additionally, the biodiversity of urban ponds was highly appreciated, but there was a knowledge gap relating to biodiversity conservation, as both native and exotic species were valued equally. In conclusion, ponds are Nature-based Solutions that are very well adapted and accepted in cities, and in the future they should be part of the greening (and blueing) of urban planning to conserve and enhance freshwater biodiversity whilst also providing NCPs.

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Landscape Preferences of Visitors to the Danube Floodplains National Park, Vienna

Cited by 12 publications

References 42 publications

Effects of stand types on recreational preferences of society in the Sub-Alpine Zone, northern Turkey

Effects of stand types on recreational preferences of society in the Sub-Alpine Zone, northern Turkey

Assessing Visitors’ Understanding of River National Park Functions and Landscapes

Urban pondscape connecting people with nature and biodiversity in a medium-sized European city (Geneva, Switzerland)

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