Posted on 02/05/2008 6:04:26 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Fewer people are visiting national parks and taking part in outdoor activities such as camping, according to new research that suggests people are falling out of love with the natural world.
The study by US conservationists discovered an "ongoing and fundamental shift away from nature-based recreation" that they say could threaten future efforts to preserve wilderness areas. The experts say people now make up to 25% fewer trips than they did in the 1980s, and say the rise of computer games could be to blame.
Oliver Pergams, a biologist at the University of Illinois, and Patricia Zaradic of the US Environmental Leadership Programme, compared records of visits with dozens of national parks, state parks and other public land across the US, Japan and Spain. They also analysed US licence applications to hunt deer, fish and shoot ducks, as well as surveys on the popularity of outdoor pursuits such as camping and hiking.
They found that the popularity of almost all activities peaked in the 1980s and then went into sharp decline. This drop reverses the trend seen in the post-war decades, which saw a boom in their popularity. Only the number of day hikes has increased. The Spanish data did not show a clear trend, but were for a relatively short period. The study is published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers said: "All major lines of evidence point to a general and fundamental shift away from people's participation in nature-based recreation. The cultural shift away from nature recreation appears to extend outside of the US, to at least Japan, and the decline appears to have begun 1981-1991. The root cause may be videophilia [a preference for indoor media activities]."
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
They conclude: "Declining nature participation has crucial implications for conservation efforts. We think it probable that any major decline in the value placed on natural areas and experiences will greatly reduce the value people place on biodiversity conservation. Accordingly, it becomes less likely that attempts to raise public awareness of the current biodiversity crisis [will succeed]."
But...I thought this was what the EnviroWackos wanted? No people touching anything "natural" at any time! Stay in your shoebox apartments in the city and stop trashing the Earth!
More room in the park for ME! :)
IOW, be careful what you ask for...
Let me get this straight. Environmentalists demand “roadless” national parks and now they are upset that people won’t visit them. Do I have this right?
“But...I thought this was what the EnviroWackos wanted? No people touching anything “natural” at any time! Stay in your shoebox apartments in the city and stop trashing the Earth!”
I know, that was the first thing that came to mind for me as well.
So they want us to enjoy nature, but don’t touch it. Which, of course, is impossible.
“They” want us to all be cavepeople with livespans no greater than 30. They never figured on Nintendo.
I hate crowds.
good less trash garbage and disrespect.Most that grow up in it respect it...many that dont trash it.....Ever sit a an intersection and see a McDonald bag fly out the window....whats with that crap..keep them out of my woods.
Buy an Ansel Adams calendar, a NatureSounds CD, and send the Sierra Club a check.
“Buy an Ansel Adams calendar, a NatureSounds CD, and send the Sierra Club a check.”
LOL!
(This “study” was backed by ‘The Nature Conservancy’ another bunch of grifters if you ask me!)
Bingo, we have a winner. Combine this with some zoo protests...
Yes, you do, and yes the enviros did it on purpose. As per typical they want their cake and to eat it too. For myself, there’s nothing like a motorcycle drive on a long mountain back road - plenty of scenery, fresh air, with the occasional stop to see the geology or the native plants. Here in sunny SoCal, PRK, we USED to have long miles of 4wd roads which were perfect for that kind of tourism. No mas. The creation of more and more roadless “wilderness” areas shut that down. I use quotes by the way, because if you’ve ever been back in a real wilderness (like “The Bob”) you wouldn’t call these areas wilderness. They’re too small for real apex predators and big enough to block all humans except those who have a week to walk in an out.
Enviro-worshipers keep our country from drilling for oil in the far reaches of Alaska, where no one would ever see a rig, and then, when gas reaches $3/gal, they are surprised that no one travels to the national parks. Duh.
Does this mean that when I go backpacking I will see less people? Shoot!
That is certainly the case here in GA. I was an avid hiker and backpacker and know the mountains here very well. But, so many areas are now more isolated, which is fine, but it requires a certain type of vehicle, more distance to be covered (ie time) and more stamina (ie I am older). I drive a sports car now and simply can't get to 90% of the place I used to haunt frequently.
In the Everglades, try tent camping in a campground. They gradually have been making it less visitor friendly.IMHO
Exactly! That was my first impression too. There’s no making loons happy.
“(This “study” was backed by ‘The Nature Conservancy’ another bunch of grifters if you ask me!)”
In what way? Seems to me they do exactly what we would want — work with private industry and landowners to save important areas voluntarily. No government takeovers. I regularly hike in a couple of their local preserves. Gorgeous places.
This is great for me. I love when people go on cruises, to Las Vegas, or to the beach. At least then they are not in the forest and mountains where we want to be. The best hiking trails are the empty ones.
Well, they want you come and pay a big fee and ride the biodiesel shuttle around the carefully roped-off visitor's area. Just don't touch anything. ;)
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