Environmental awareness gained during a citizen science project in touristic resorts is maintained after 3 years since participation

The research leading to these results has received funding from Project AWARE Foundation, ASTOI Association, Milano, Ministry of Tourism of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Settemari S. p. A Tour Operator, Scuba Nitrox Safety International, Viaggio nel Blu Diving Center.Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in the world. It has a positive effect on the economy of many countries, but it can also lead to negative impacts on local ecosystems. Informal environmental education through Citizen Science (CS) projects can be effective in increasing citizen environmental knowledge and awareness in the short-term. A change of awareness could bring to a behavioral change in the long-term, making tourism more sustainable. However, the long-term effects of participating in CS projects are still unknown. This is the first follow-up study concerning the effects of participating in a CS project on cognitive and psychological aspects at the basis of pro-environmental behavior. An environmental education program was developed, between 2012 and 2013, in a resort in Marsa Alam, Egypt. The study directly evaluated, through paper questionnaires, the short-term (after 1 week or 10 days) retention of knowledge and awareness of volunteers that had participated in the activities proposed by the program. After three years, participants were re-contacted via email to fill in the same questionnaire as in the short-term study, plus a new section with psychological variables. 40.5% of the re-contacted participants completed the follow-up questionnaires with a final sample size of fifty-five people for this study. Notwithstanding the limited sample size, positive trends in volunteer awareness, personal satisfaction regarding the CS project, and motivation to engage in pro-environmental behavior in the long-term were observed.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Extreme Flooding Events in Coastal Lagoons: Seawater Parameters and Rainfall over A Six-Year Period in the Mar Menor (SE Spain)

Climate change is one of the main problems currently strongly conditioning ecosystems all over the world. Coastal lagoons are amongst the most vulnerable habitats, and they are undergoing extensive human impact due to their high production rates and the close proximity of urban and agricultural centers. The Mar Menor, the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe, is an example of a highly impacted ecosystem. In December 2016 and September 2019, climate change-induced DANA (upper-level isolated atmospheric depression) flooding events took place there, temporarily altering the lagoon oceanographic properties. Data gathered throughout the lagoon (11 stations inside and 1 outside the lagoon) from 2016 to 2021 were analyzed in order to assess the variability of seawater parameters: salinity, density, chlorophyll-a, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen, due to DANA events. Results showed a change in seawater parameters that were reestablished at different rates, 4 and 10 months in 2016 and 2019, respectively, following a description of the environmental conditions and effects that have been reported after extreme rainfall in the lagoon. The amount of rainfall correlated with changes in the analyzed seawater parameters, such as an increase in turbidity and chlorophyll-a values. Furthermore, turbidity correlated with chlorophyll-a and oxygen saturation, while density correlated with salinity. Such extreme weather events are worsened by climate change, growing more frequent and between shorter intervals in time. In order to decelerate ecosystem decline, comprehensive management plans are needed to address the various factors that might add to anthropic impacts in natural environments

Eight years of community structure monitoring through recreational citizen science at the “SS Thistlegorm” wreck (Red Sea)

Large artificial coral reef communities, such as those thriving on sunken shipwrecks, tend to mirror those of nearby natural coral reefs and their long-term dynamics may help future reef resilience to environmental change. We examined the community structure of the world-renown “SS Thistlegorm” wreck in the northern Red Sea from 2007 through 2014, analyzing data collected during the recreational citizen science Red Sea monitoring project “Scuba Tourism for the Environment”. Volunteer divers collected data on 6 different diving parameters which included the date of the dive, maximum depth, average depth, temperature, dive time, hour of dive, and gave an abundance estimation of sighted taxa from a list of 72 target taxa. Although yearly variations in community structure were significant, there was no clear temporal trend, and 71 of all 72 target taxa were sighted throughout the 8 years. The 5 main taxa driving variations among year clusters in taxa presence/absence (Soft Tree Coral—Dendronephthya spp., Giant Moray—Gymnothorax javanicus, Squirrel Fish—Sargocentron spp., Humpback Batfish—Platax spp., and Caranxes—Carangidae) and taxa abundance (Soft Tree Coral, Giant Moray, Red Sea Clownfish—Amphiprion bicinctus, Napoleon Wrasse—Cheilinus undulatus, and Caranxes) data were determined. The “SS Thistlegorm” provides a compelling example of how artificial coral reefs can sustain a well-established community structure similar to those of their natural counterparts

Environmental awareness gained during a citizen science project in touristic resorts is maintained after 3 years since participation

Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in the world. It has a positive effect on the economy of many countries, but it can also lead to negative impacts on local ecosystems. Informal environmental education through Citizen Science (CS) projects can be effective in increasing citizen environmental knowledge and awareness in the short-term. A change of awareness could bring to a behavioral change in the long-term, making tourism more sustainable. However, the long-term effects of participating in CS projects are still unknown. This is the first follow-up study concerning the effects of participating in a CS project on cognitive and psychological aspects at the basis of pro-environmental behavior. An environmental education program was developed, between 2012 and 2013, in a resort in Marsa Alam, Egypt. The study directly evaluated, through paper questionnaires, the short-term (after 1 week or 10 days) retention of knowledge and awareness of volunteers that had participated in the activities proposed by the program. After three years, participants were re-contacted via email to fill in the same questionnaire as in the short-term study, plus a new section with psychological variables. 40.5% of the re-contacted participants completed the follow-up questionnaires with a final sample size of fifty-five people for this study. Notwithstanding the limited sample size, positive trends in volunteer awareness, personal satisfaction regarding the CS project, and motivation to engage in pro-environmental behavior in the long-term were observed

Educational briefings in touristic facilities promote tourist sustainable behavior and customer loyalty

Ecotourism gives tourists the opportunity to improve knowledge and awareness of environmental issues while on vacation. Recreational environmental education has been proven an effective method to raise perception of human impact on ecosystems. "Glocal Education" is an education project aimed at developing environmental interest in tourists on vacation. The present study assessed the effectiveness of Glocal Education in improving tourist environmental interest. Using specific questionnaires, we evaluated project impact on tourists, tourist satisfaction regarding the project and customer loyalty towards the tour operator hosting the project. The study took place at three mass touristic facilities, where tourists were asked to fill a questionnaire before and after participating in educational activities (e.g., biology lessons, excursions). The average score of both questionnaires was then compared to evaluate possible improvement of tourist knowledge, attitude and awareness. Results showed that such activities had a significantly positive impact on tourist knowledge, attitude and awareness at all localities. High levels of satisfaction and loyalty towards the host tour operator were observed at all sites, which indicate that once a person is briefed about the correct approach to natural systems, they can become increasingly interested in taking action, developing an "advocate" role. This study shows how informal education activities can act as trigger for environmental awareness and behavior among tourists, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and motivation to critically discern what is and isn't environmentally friendly, not only in terms of products and services in their everyday life, but also when choosing their vacation spots

Educational briefings in touristic facilities promote tourist sustainable behavior and customer loyalty

Ecotourism gives tourists the opportunity to improve knowledge and awareness of environmental issues while on vacation. Recreational environmental education has been proven an effective method to raise perception of human impact on ecosystems. "Glocal Education" is an education project aimed at developing environmental interest in tourists on vacation. The present study assessed the effectiveness of Glocal Education in improving tourist environmental interest. Using specific questionnaires, we evaluated project impact on tourists, tourist satisfaction regarding the project and customer loyalty towards the tour operator hosting the project. The study took place at three mass touristic facilities, where tourists were asked to fill a questionnaire before and after participating in educational activities (e.g., biology lessons, excursions). The average score of both questionnaires was then compared to evaluate possible improvement of tourist knowledge, attitude and awareness. Results showed that such activities had a significantly positive impact on tourist knowledge, attitude and awareness at all localities. High levels of satisfaction and loyalty towards the host tour operator were observed at all sites, which indicate that once a person is briefed about the correct approach to natural systems, they can become increasingly interested in taking action, developing an "advocate" role. This study shows how informal education activities can act as trigger for environmental awareness and behavior among tourists, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and motivation to critically discern what is and isn't environmentally friendly, not only in terms of products and services in their everyday life, but also when choosing their vacation spots