Stand-up paddling: A case study on the effect and impact pathway of information and appeals to reduce ecological conflicts

Abstract

Water bodies form important habitats for animals and plants. At the same time, they offer special recreational benefits, through nature experiences, their scenic quality or as a basis for sport activities. However, high visitor numbers and problematic behaviour can lead to disturbances in nature. To maintain the recreational benefits of such public spaces and to protect nature, campaigns are a useful means, in addition to spatial interventions and legal regulations. This study evaluates a campaign to reduce negative effects on nature due to the increasingly popular activity of stand-up paddling. A written pre-post survey of the treatment group at Lake Greifensee was completed by the stand-up paddlers on site on tablets or location-independently on their own device. The control survey took place at Lake Lauerzersee, but mainly via various disseminators and social media in German-speaking Switzerland, starting with the pre-survey and ending with the post-survey at Lake Greifensee. The total sample comprised 334 people. To evaluate the campaign, behavioural predictors - based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) - and self-reported behaviour of stand-up paddlers with and without exposure to the campaign were compared. Exposure to the campaign influenced the predictor “perceived control” the most; the two variables “knowledge” and “self-assessed skills” increased significantly with exposure to the campaign. The poster, which was present on site throughout the campaign, was the communication tool most perceived by stand-up paddlers. The variables that best predicted self-reported behaviour were behavioural knowledge, relevance, and self-assessed ability. The results indicate that TPB-predictors tend to be positively influenced by campaign exposure, and they point to a relationship between TPB-predictors and behaviour. However, not all components of the TPB-predictors are statistically significantly improved by campaign exposure, nor do they all significantly influence self-reported behaviour. Nonetheless, the results show that persuasive work improves self-reported ecological behaviour and largely confirm the impact path for persuasion as it has been theoretically proposed. Management implications•A combination of information and behavioural recommendations reduce conflicts between stand-up paddlers and nature. To improve all TPB-predictors, additional efforts such as persuasion on an emotion-related basis are recommended.•Due to the low level of organization of the activity and because information is rarely obtained in advance, paddlers are best informed on site or in the beginning of their activity career (e.g., when buying/renting equipment).