Sense of place, protected areas and tourism:
Two Tasmanian case studies
Chia-Chin Lin
BS (Horticulture); MS (Horticulture), National Chung-Hsing University;
Master of Environmental Planning, University of Tasmania
Submitted in Fulfilment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
University of Tasmania
January 2012
Declaration of Originality
This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or
diploma by the University or any other institution, except by way of
background information and duly acknowledged in the thesis, and to the best of
the my knowledge and belief no material previously published or written by
another person except where due acknowledgement is made in the text of the
thesis, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright.
(Chia-Chin Lin)
(Date)
ii
Authority of Access
This thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying in accordance
with the Copyright Act 1968.
(Chia-Chin Lin)
(Date)
iii
Acknowledgements
This thesis could not have been completed without the support and guidance of
many people. Most importantly, I thank my supervisors, Dr. Michael
Lockwood, Dr. Lorne Kriwoken, and Dr. Jim Russell. They have given me
great support and direction over the years, with seemingly endless patience.
Thanks to my family and friends, in particular to my parents, brother and aunt;
and to Paul, for their unconditional support.
I would like to thank all the staff and fellow students from the School of
Geography and Environmental Studies.
Lastly, a special thanks to all the survey and interview participants for their
valuable time to complete my surveys and accept my interviews. I would also
like to thank the individuals and various organisations who assisted me,
especially the Peninsula Environmental Network, Tasmanian Conservation
Trust, Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Tasmanian National Parks Association,
and members of the staff of the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.
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Abstract
The focus of the research was to explore the meaning of ‘sense of place’ and develop a
better understanding of the concept in the context of protected areas. The nature and
magnitude of changes in sense of place arising from tourism developments were also
investigated. In this context, I sought to elucidate the usefulness of sense of place in two
endeavours: (a) guiding the governance and management of protected areas, and (b)
making empirical contributions to the resolution of issues associated with recreation and
tourism.
Through an analysis of the literature, I identified limitations in previous research
concerning sense of place for natural areas, and developed a conceptual model that
explained the factors associated with formation of people’s senses of place, and the
relationships between sense of place, tourism impacts and tourism developments. This
model was used to illustrate how the consideration of sense of place can contribute to
protected area governance and management, particularly in relation to recreation and
tourism.
I examined the validity of the model, and explored the meaning and utility of sense of
place in the context of protected areas and tourism, by collecting data on each of the
component concepts and variables. This empirical work involved the deployment of
both qualitative and quantitative methods in case studies involving two Tasmanian
natural areas: Tasman National Park and Recherche Bay. In-person interviews as well
as questionnaire surveys were conducted with stakeholders to examine people-place
relationships, perceptions of existing and potential tourism impacts, and attitudes to
current and proposed tourism developments.
The results demonstrate that sense of place is an overarching idea that encompasses a
variety of dimensions, including place attachment. People’s senses of place for my
study sites can also be classified into non-exclusive and exclusive forms. Non-exclusive
senses of place, which are not restricted to my study sites, but can be evoked wherever
similar place features and qualities exist, include place atmosphere, functional
attachment and intellectual attachment. Exclusive senses of place are constituted by
feelings of belongingness or identification that are restricted to associations with
particular sites. They are emotion-driven and are aroused by past experiences people
have had in a particular place. My analysis also determined factors that can influence
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the intensity of attachments to the study sites. These factors include ownership of
property at that place, the place where respondents had resided the longest, frequency of
visitation to the study sites, frequency of visitation in the past year, types of recreational
activities, purpose of visitation, and time of visitation.
These findings were used to develop guidance on contemporary protected area
governance practices in terms of using sense of place as an additional dimension when
including stakeholders in decision-making procedures. Understandings concerning the
meanings people bestow on the environment helped identify place characteristics that
are fundamental to developing appropriate management objectives and strategies. I also
show how protected area authorities can incorporate understandings of sense of place
into recommendations for sustainable tourism planning and management. An
understanding of how users perceive, choose and interact with various settings provides
a basis for managers to identify the services, facilities and range of recreation
opportunities that they are to maintain. The extent to which findings from the two
Tasmanian case examples might apply to other protected areas, particularly in regions
experiencing rapid expansion of tourism developments, is also considered. I conclude
with suggestions for further research.
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Table of Contents
Declaration of Originality............................................................................................... i
Authority of Access ........................................................................................................ ii
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iii
Abstract...........................................................................................................................iv
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables...................................................................................................................ix
List of Figures...............................................................................................................xiv
Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Rationale of the thesis ........................................................................................ 1
1.2 Contribution and purpose of the thesis............................................................... 4
1.3 Methods .............................................................................................................. 5
1.4 Thesis overview ................................................................................................. 7
Chapter 2 Governance and management of protected areas ................................... 9
2.1 Characteristics and significance of protected areas ........................................... 9
2.1.1 Values ....................................................................................................... 9
2.1.2 IUCN categories and related framework issues ..................................... 11
2.2 Governance of protected areas ......................................................................... 13
2.2.1 Significance of governance .................................................................... 14
2.2.2 Governance types ................................................................................... 14
2.2.3 A new paradigm ..................................................................................... 16
2.3 Tourism and recreation in protected areas ....................................................... 26
2.3.1 Tourism and recreation in protected areas ............................................. 26
2.3.2 Concerns for tourism and recreation in protected areas ......................... 29
2.3.3 Planning approaches for tourism and recreation management in protected
areas........................................................................................................ 30
2.4 Summary of implications for this thesis .......................................................... 35
Chapter 3 Sense of place .................
