Linking visitor perceptions and behaviours related to ticks and lyme disease to risk management strategies in a protected areas context

Abstract

Abstract Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America. Despite this, there is a limited understanding of public perceptions and behaviours associated with tick and Lyme disease risk, especially within a parks and protected areas visitation and visitor experience context. To address this knowledge gap, we report the results of a survey of visitor perceptions and behaviours related to ticks and Lyme disease risk in one of Ontario, Canada’s most highly visited protected areas. Results revealed that tick bites are the second highest perceived risk by visitors to the park, and over half (52%) reported that they limit their interactions in certain areas of the park to reduce tick and Lyme disease risk. Notably, 63% of visitors would return to Pinery if bitten by a tick. However, a high proportion of visitors noted that they would likely not return to the park if they (44%) or someone they know (40%) contracted a tick-borne disease. Furthermore, only 41% of respondents noted that they would likely return to the park if regional rates of tick-borne illnesses increased by 30% under future climate change. In light of these novel findings, we provide a number of proactive management recommendations, focused on developing or enhancing pre-visit education, communication, and outreach programmes where appropriate, that can be used by managers to effectively address this emerging human health and safety challenge in protected areas. For the first time in the Canadian protected areas context, we assess visitor perceptions and risk-mitigation behaviours related to ticks and Lyme disease. We also assess visitor use and perceived importance of related education, communication, and outreach strategies of the governing park agency, Ontario Parks. The results revealed many novel and significant findings with important implications for visitor experience planning and management, including: • A significant lack of perceived tick-related education levels amongst park users; • A higher risk perception of getting a tick bite in the park in comparison to in everyday life; • A general unwillingness of visitors to return to the park if exposed to a tick-borne illness as a result of a park tick bite; • A general unwillingness of visitors to return to the park if regional rates of tick-borne illnesses increase by 30%; • A high perceived value of existing communication strategies with respect to tick bite and Lyme disease prevention currently used by Ontario Parks; and, • A strong belief by visitors that both on and offsite tick communication strategies are equally valuable and important to mitigating tick bites and Lyme disease risk.