ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, INTEREST AND MOTIVES OF BOGOR BOTANIC GARDENS VISITORS IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERPRETIVE PRACTICE

Abstract

Botanical gardens attract a variety of domestic and international travelers, as well as regular visitors from their own region. Conservation and education are the two main goals of botanical gardens, potential in terms of providing conservation education for the community, to cultivate an attitude of pro-conservation, encourage people to support conservation efforts and understanding climate change. To inform the development of appropriate interpretive strategies in targeting conservation issues, the necessary information is related to the environmental awareness of visitors, their interests and motives to visit Bogor Botanical Gardens. This paper addresses these needs by describing environmental awareness, interest and motivation of 86 visitors to the garden. The results there are visitors less interested and less committed to the conservation issues, and also less motivated to learn, than other visitors who have a free choice in the aspect of such learning in museums, zoos, aquariums, heritage sites, and nature.