Renewable Energy in Wilderness Landscapes: Visitors’ Perspectives

Edita Tverijonaite,Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir,Rannveig Ólafsdóttir,C Michael Hall

doi:10.3390/su11205812

Edita Tverijonaite, Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205812

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Oct 19, 2019
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Iceland, University of Canterbury

Abstract

Increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix is of crucial importance for climate change mitigation. However, as renewable energy development often changes the visual appearance of landscapes and might affect other industries relying on them, such as nature-based tourism, it therefore requires careful planning. This is especially true in Iceland, a country rich in renewable energy resources and a popular nature-based tourism destination. The present study investigated the potential impacts on tourism of the proposed Hverfisfljót hydropower plant by identifying the main attractions of the area as well as by analyzing visitors’ perceptions, preferences and attitudes, and the place meanings they assign to the landscape of the area. The data for the study were collected using onsite questionnaire surveys, interviews with visitors to the area, open-ended diaries, and participant observation. The results reveal that the area of the proposed power plant is perceived as wilderness by its visitors, who seek environmental settings related to the components of a wilderness experience. Visitors were highly satisfied with the present settings and preferred to protect the area from development to ensure the provision of currently available recreational opportunities. The results further show that the proposed Hverfisfljót hydropower plant would reduce the attractiveness of the area to its visitors, degrade their wilderness experience, and therefore strongly reduce their interest in visiting the area. Moreover, the participants perceived the already developed lowlands of the country as more suitable for renewable energy development than the undeveloped highland areas, which is in line with the principles of smart practices for renewable energy development.

Highlights

The importance of renewable energy (RE) production is increasing worldwide in light of the continuing growth in demand for electricity and, simultaneously, the need to mitigate climate change
In order to identify which characteristics of the study area were perceived as the most attractive by the visitors and of the highest value for tourism, the participants were asked during the interviews what, according to them, was the main attraction of the area
Attractive and impressive to the visitors seemed to be the vastness of the wilderness landscapes, which allowed for the experience of solitude

Summary

Introduction

The importance of renewable energy (RE) production is increasing worldwide in light of the continuing growth in demand for electricity and, simultaneously, the need to mitigate climate change. Hydropower is currently expanding at a slower pace compared to solar photovoltaic and wind power [3], hydropower capacity is still increasing [4]. It most likely will remain an important component of the renewable energy mix due to its ability to quickly change the amount of electricity supplied and complement intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy [5,6,7]. Many studies [10,11] have pointed out various negative environmental impacts of hydropower plants, which should be taken into consideration when planning energy production

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