Changing ecologies, shifting identities : the role of landscape and experience in shaping environmental values

In a general sense, maintaining environmental quality depends on human behavioural patterns. Many parts of regional Australia are experiencing a rapid move from a rural based economy to an extractive one, in large part due to the resource boom. Extensive research is underway into the ecological impacts of this development, yet little is known about how such rapid industrialisation influences the relationship between local residents and their environment. The central aim of this research was to begin to address this knowledge deficit by gathering baseline data on the various factors that are influencing people’s environmental worldview. To this end, an extensive social survey was conducted, consisting of a written questionnaire, with supporting imagery that was delivered via face-to-face interviews using iPad tablets. The survey questions were designed to explore the relationship between cultural generation, place setting, residency status, influence of role models and environmental values, care, behaviour, perception and preferences. The sampling frame targeted Australian adults (>18 years of age) living by the coast. Fieldwork was carried out in central Queensland, Australia – a region where massive industrialisation and resource exploitation are occurring with the concomitant move from a rural based economy to a mining economy – all within extremely close proximity to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. People were interviewed across three sites – a coastal capital city (Brisbane), mid-sized coastal rural town (Bundaberg), and a coastal industrial hub (Gladstone). Replicate sites were located in South Australia (Adelaide [coastal city], Port Lincoln [coastal rural town] and Whyalla [coastal industrial hub]). There were statistically significant correlations between many of the survey parameters. The study encompassed an investigation of how or if environmental values and perceptions are shaped by the geopolitical context of ones state of residence, the primary economic drivers of an area or the relationship one has with a town in terms of their residency status (e.g., long term resident, recent arrival, transient worker). The aim here is to better align our attempts to promote environmentally 5 conscious attitudes and behaviours with the specific demographic group being targeted. On a state level, there seemed to be a ‘familiarity factor’ at play regarding beach landscape preferences, with Queensland respondents more likely to favour mangrove environments, and South Australians showing an elevated preference for revegetation. The residency groups assessed in the study showed some disparity regarding their environmental values. Most interestingly, the Fly-In Fly-Out group overall tested higher for intrinsic values than any of the other groups, a finding that is thought provoking in light of the instrumental basis of industry jobs An examination of potential differences between the generations can be a robust manner to examine both the current state of environmental affairs and best-practice conservation outreach for the future. Many similarities were found between the generations examined; chiefly that respondents across all generation groups value the marine environment, often for its intrinsic worth. Perhaps the greatest discrepancies between the groups emerged when considering frequency of participation in common environmental behaviours. In this instance, the Baby Boomers (those born from 1946-1964) have indeed earned their mantle of ‘eco elders’, with the highest overall participation rates. The lowest participation rates come from the youngest adult generation, Generation Y (those born after 1980). Should this trend persist across the life course, it could have a significant influence on both Generation Y and those that follow. The generations also demonstrated considerable divergence regarding their coastal and roadside landscape preferences. In the case of coastal landscapes, progressively greater proportions of each generation demonstrated a preference for natural mangrove environments. This may indicate a lessening of old stigmas that surround swamp environments and hopefully an increased appreciation for wild nature among the younger generations. Exploring the influence of childhood circumstances on adult values and perceptions about the marine environment has clear application in terms of designing targeted and effective 6 environmental education for young people. Key findings from this research aspect include an effect of childhood place setting on rated importance of the marine environment, with those who had spent their childhood in industrial towns less likely to consider the marine environment very important. A small proportion of industrial respondents did not consider the marine environment at all important, a trend that was not mirrored by the urban or rural groups. The presence of an environmental role model in childhood enhanced the environmental values of respondents, with those who had a role model more likely to consider the marine environment and its conservation to be very important. The collective findings of this study speak to the key role of day-to-day landscapes and experiences in developing an individuals ‘ecological identity’. In a period of rapid environmental change, it’s imperative to consider not just the environmental impacts of human activities, but also the way in which through changing the landscape and our interactions with it, we may be inadvertently changing ourselves. The benefits of nurturing the human-nature connection are manifold. The findings of this study, as well as previous research, indicate a dual purpose for nature conservation that satisfies both intrinsic and instrumental values. Experiencing healthy natural environments has numerous health and wellbeing benefits, and promoting the importance of such experiences incentivises conservation priorities. The advantage of this conservation model is that it is politically palatable, but also satisfies more philosophically driven conservation motivations. To this end, I have concluded this thesis with a compilation of strategies to improve marine conservation outcomes.