Tourists’ perceptions and willingness to pay for the control of &lt;i&gt;Opuntia stricta&lt;/i&gt; invasion in protected areas: A case study from South Africa

Nikodinoska, Natasha; Foxcroft, Llewellyn C.; Paletto, Alessandro; Notaro, Sandra

doi:10.4102/koedoe.v56i1.1214

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Visitors also appear willing to support spending money on these activities. Other studies [ 29 , 30 ] have shown park visitors are willing themselves to financially support the control of invasive species through park entry fees, and/or indirectly via taxes that are then used to fund park and weed management. Although not assessed here, some visitors may also be willing to directly participate in weed reduction strategies such as volunteering for trail maintenance and restoration events [ 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result public support for park management in general and for weed management in particular, is important [ 26 – 28 ]. Visitors often financially support weed management in parks directly via the payment of park fees, and/or indirectly via taxes that are subsequently used for park management [ 29 , 30 ]. Support could potentially include changes in behaviour so visitors are unlikely to carry and disperse weed seeds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They also knew of different ways that weeds could spread, however, many could not identify ways to prevent the spread of weeds. More recent community studies in Scotland [ 31 ] and the United States of America of local park users, different types of tourists and conservation professionals in Spain [ 32 ], and tourists in South Africa [ 29 ] found that most people could define invasive species but knowledge varied depending on their background. Conservation professionals and nature tourists, for example, were more knowledgeable about invasive species than general tourists and local park users [ 32 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What’s a Weed? Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour of Park Visitors about Weeds

Ansong¹,

Pickering²

2015

PLoS ONE

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Weeds are a major threat to biodiversity globally degrading natural areas of high conservation value. But what are our attitudes about weeds and their management including weeds in national parks? Do we know what a weed is? Do we consider weeds a problem? Do we support their management? Are we unintentionally spreading weeds in parks? To answer these questions, we surveyed visitors entering a large popular national park near the city of Brisbane, Australia. Park visitors were knowledgeable about weeds; with >75% correctly defining weeds as ‘plants that grow where they are not wanted’. About 10% of the visitors, however, provided their own sophisticated definitions. This capacity to define weeds did not vary with people’s age, sex or level of education. We constructed a scale measuring visitors’ overall concern about weeds in parks using the responses to ten Likert scale statements. Over 85% of visitors were concerned about weeds with older visitors, hikers, and those who could correctly define weeds more concerned than their counterparts. The majority think visitors unintentionally introduce seeds into parks, with many (63%) having found seeds on their own clothing. However, over a third disposed of these seeds in ways that could facilitate weed spread. Therefore, although most visitors were knowledgeable and concerned about weeds, and support their control, there is a clear need for more effective communication regarding the risk of visitors unintentionally dispersing weed seeds in parks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What’s a Weed? Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour of Park Visitors about Weeds

Ansong¹,

Pickering²

2015

PLoS ONE

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“…Amount Willing to Pay for social tree services for the conservation of tree species. The elicited monetary values of social services of tree species were obtained through the Payment Card System (CPS) of Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) as used by [21] and [26]. The students were asked to indicate the maximum amount they will be WTP per month for social services provided by the tree species from their allowances.…”

Section: Willingness To Pay For Trees Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undergraduate Students Willingness to Pay for Social Services of Trees at the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Ancha

Ikyaagba

Nongov

2019

IJECC

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The study was conducted to provide information on students Willingness to Pay (WTP) for social services provided by tree species on the campus of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (FUAM), Benue State, Nigeria. Random sampling technique was used to select 200 students from 10 Departments of the University. The semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from the students. Vegetation survey was conducted to indentified tree species present in the selected colleges. The result of the study shows that Albizia zygia was the dominant tree species on the campus. Majority of the students (86.5%) were willing to pay (WTP) for social services of the tree species while (23.5%) were not WTP. Provision of shade (WMS= 4.19>3.00) and beautification (WMS=3.64>3.00) were the most social services provided by tree species. The mean amount the students were WTP for social tree services was N46 per month. Sex of the students differed significantly (P<0.05) from their WTP for the trees social services. Also, there was a significant difference (P<0.10) between the students level of study and their willingness to pay for the trees social services. The major reasons responsible for the insufficiency of trees on the campus as stated by the students were clearance for construction purposes (WMS4.15>3.00) and bush burning (WMS=3.62>3.00). It was recommended that harnessing of human, financial and material resources to address issues of sustainability of forest goods and services on the campus of FUAM should be prioritized. School administration, Departmental Staff and students should promote tree planting on campus.

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“…This is similar for attitudes towards non-native ornamental species that are found in rest camps in Kruger National Park (Foxcroft, Richardson & Wilson 2008), where it required education and increased awareness of staff to gain support for the removal of such plants. Similarly, tourists in Pilanesberg who were aware of the invasive prickly pear (Opuntia stricta) indicated a willingness to contribute financially to its control (Nikodinoska et al 2014). In an 'open-access' scenario such as the GRNP where visitors do not necessarily have to pass through a gate to experience the park, the demarcation between PAs, surrounding buffer zones and the rest of the landscape is less easily observable.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Insightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viewshed and sense of place as conservation features: A case study and research agenda for South Africa's national parks

Barendse

Roux

Erfmann

et al. 2016

Koedoe

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Sense of place (SoP) refers to the meanings and values that people attach to places. The concept can be used to frame how people engage or form a connection with the natural environment. At a sensory level, SoP is influenced by people’s visual experiences, which in turn can be linked to the concept of viewsheds. Viewsheds can be transformed, either abruptly (e.g. by infrastructure development such as wind turbines) or more gradually (e.g. by non-native trees invading a landscape). In this study, we focus on the Garden Route National Park to explore the potential importance of viewsheds as a conservation feature, specifically in the context of non-native (especially invasive) tree species. Using mixed information sources, we explore the potential role of invasive trees on experiences of visitors to this protected area and speculate on how viewsheds may shape SoP associations and how such associations may inform protected area management. Our investigation shows that people’s experiences regarding natural and modified viewsheds are varied and intricate. Both SoP and viewsheds have the potential to inform conservation action, and these concepts should form an integral part of objective hierarchies and management plans for national parks. However, while legislation and park management plans make provision for the use of these concepts, associated research in South Africa is virtually non-existent. We conclude by proposing a conceptual model and research agenda to promote the use of viewsheds and SoP in the management of national parks in South Africa.Conservation implications: Viewshed and sense of place can be used as boundary concepts to (1) facilitate interdisciplinary research between social and natural scientists, (2) help understand the connectedness and feedbacks between people and nature and (3) promote communication between science, management and stakeholders regarding desired conditions of landscapes in and around parks.

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Tourists’ perceptions and willingness to pay for the control of <i>Opuntia stricta</i> invasion in protected areas: A case study from South Africa

Cited by 10 publications

References 31 publications

What’s a Weed? Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour of Park Visitors about Weeds

What’s a Weed? Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour of Park Visitors about Weeds

Undergraduate Students Willingness to Pay for Social Services of Trees at the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Viewshed and sense of place as conservation features: A case study and research agenda for South Africa's national parks

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