Using Photo-Elicitation to Explore Place Attachment in a Remote Setting

People are often attracted to unique natural environments, but what makes them continually return to these locations, especially when considerable time and effort are required to get there? This paper discusses the methods and findings of a research project aimed at identifying and exploring how visitors develop an attachment to the remote Ningaloo Marine Park in north-western Australia. This Marine Park attracts a high percentage of repeat visitors (55%) and in order to determine the complex aspects contributing to this attachment, photo-elicitation was employed. Photo-elicitation is a qualitative technique where participants are asked to take photographs relating to the concept under study, and these are then used as triggers for underlying memories and feelings during a subsequent interview. For this study, participants were provided with digital cameras to take photographs of why they like visiting the Ningaloo Reef and what it was that made them return. Given this remote location and the inability to get photographs developed in reasonable timeframes, digital cameras were used instead of the disposable cameras more commonly used in this type of study. After a few days, the cameras were returned, and photographs uploaded on the researcher’s laptop computer with interviews conducted while viewing the photographs. Over a period of four weeks, during the peak visitor period, 30 participants took over 200 photographs and provided over 15 hours of interview recordings. Key aspects contributing to place attachment included the beauty of the physical environment, reef and marine based activities, social bonding with family and friends and enjoying a challenging though rewarding experience. By using a technique familiar to people on holidays, i.e. taking photographs, a method was invoked that people could engage with easily without the research impinging on their holiday experienc

Understanding the place attachement of campers along the southern Ningaloo Coast, Australia

Place attachment and place related concepts were developed to examine bonds individuals form with places. Place concepts have been adopted by managers of natural areas to help refine their understanding of visitor preferences. These concepts, consisting predominantly of place meanings and place attachment, have been studied extensively in terrestrial natural areas with limited focus on marine and coastal areas. Therefore this study aimed to use a mixed-method approach to understand place meanings ascribed to coastal areas and the effect of place attachment on proenvironmental behaviours and support for management actions. The qualitative method photo-elicitation was employed to ascertain meanings ascribed to Ningaloo Marine Park and its adjacent coastline. Analysis of participant photographs and interviews identified four categories of meaning 13 physical environment, recreational activities, social ties and emotional connections 13 with each nuanced by the presence of water. This analysis identified a new form of emotional connection 13 everybody 19s happy 13 which described the enjoyment of all members of a group with a holiday to Ningaloo. This was included in a subsequent quantitative visitor survey along with more traditional dimensions of place attachment and questions pertaining to pro-environmental behaviours and management actions. Structural equation modelling identified place identity as the only dimension to have a significant effect on on-site behaviours individuals would do themselves, telling others to do these same behaviours, and off-site conservation actions. To identify the relationships between dimensions of place attachment and support for management actions each dimension was clustered based on level of attachment, with these clusters subjected to multivariate stepwise correlation modelling (via PRIMER) with the management actions. No significant relationships were found, other than with one cluster within the everybody 19s happy place attachment dimension. The thesis concludes with a research agenda suggesting further reflection on the construction of place identity and its influences on perceptions of leisure settings. Also required is consideration of the newly identified and reconceptualised construct 13 everybody 19s happy 13 and its broader applicability beyond this coastal-based study

The Effect of Place Attachment on Pro-environment Behavioral Intentions of Visitors to Coastal Natural Area Tourist Destinations

It has been hypothesized that as individuals become attached to a place, they are more likely to protect that place. Managers of natural area tourism destinations may be able to use this relationship to assist in sustainably managing such places. An on-site visitor survey was administered at Ningaloo Marine Park, Australia, to examine the effect of a multi-dimensional place attachment construct on pro-environment behavioral intentions. The behaviors encompassed three categories based on the perceived level of commitment and where the behaviors physically occurred. They included on-site actions by visitors, visitors telling others how to act on-site, and off-site actions to conserve the Marine Park. Structural equation modeling revealed place identity directly affecting all three behavioral categories, the effect increasing with the level of commitment required to undertake the pro-environment behaviors. This suggests that a sophisticated understanding of place identity is essential for the management of natural area tourism destinations

Radiosynthesis and Bioimaging of the Tuberculosis Chemotherapeutics Isoniazid, Rifampicin and Pyrazinamide in Baboons

The front-line tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapeutics isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), and pyrazinamide (PZA) have been labeled with carbon-11 and the biodistribution of each labeled drug has been determined in baboons using positron emission tomography (PET). Each radiosynthesis and formulation has been accomplished in 1 h, using [11C]CH3I to label RIF and [11C]HCN to label INH and PZA. Following iv administration, INH, PZA, RIF, and/or their radiolabeled metabolites clear rapidly from many tissues; however, INH, PZA, and/or their radiolabeled metabolites accumulate in the bladder while RIF and/or its radiolabeled metabolites accumulates in the liver and gall bladder, consistent with the known routes of excretion of the drugs. In addition, the biodistribution data demonstrate that the ability of the three drugs and their radiolabeled metabolites to cross the blood−brain barrier decreases in the order PZA > INH > RIF, although in all cases the estimated drug concentrations are greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for inhibiting bacterial growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The pharmacokinetic (PK) and drug distribution data have important implications for treatment of disseminated TB in the brain and pave the way for imaging the distribution of the pathogen in vivo.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog