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Dr Delene Weber, University of South AustraliaAssoc. Prof. Greg Brown, University of Queensland
Responding to Climate Change: use of PPGIS to understand preferences of Adelaide park visitors
The benefits of parks Protects biodiversity Promote healthy lifestyles Increase real estate value Temperature amelioration Storm water storage Can provide important pedestrian and
cycling links Community gardens can assist in food
security
Climate change will affect parks It will affect the character of parks
Eg. Less rain, longer and more frequent droughts, heat waves and strong winds will result in increased stress to plants and wildlife, loss of biodiversity, more dieback, loss of shade trees, more risk trees, greater fire risk
It will affect visitation patterns Eg. Rising sea levels and storm surges will
increase beach erosion. “more beach weather, less beaches”
More crowding, more people visiting local parks
Longer shoulder season
Value of parks and how that is affected by climate change
Responding to climate change requires a trans-disciplinary approach
Are you suggesting
we have to do things
differently?!!?
You mean the carbon tax
Doesn’t just solve everything??
Benefits of a Collaborative Approach Promotes improved understanding of
different perspectives Necessary to solve complex problems in
a meaningful way Replicates real world decision making
that needs to consider biophysical, economic and social implications.
Leads to better, more justifiable decisions
So what’s the hold up??
Working Together:It won’t destroy us
Please not an economist!! I can’t stand
their reductionist
perspectives of the world
Let’s be clear. What we are
doing is perfectly
correct. I (a) don’t
understand what the heck
they are talking about
and (b) couldn’t care
less
You are kidding .. Social scientists!!
They are too airy-fairy to work
with!!
Real Reason It is hard and takes more time. Requires open mind and respect of other
disciplines Some problems lend themselves to that
approach more readily than others Funding organisations often single
disciplinary focus You need a method to pull the data sets
together in a meaningful way
Can GIS help???
We hope so!!! Most variables have a spatial component
Hydrology Biodiversity
Vegetation, endangered species habitat, wilderness
Soils Management
Infrastructure, management zones, fire history, trails
Economic Social
Readily available data layers Can be constructed
Are we ready yet??
Merge the Data setsCreate meaningful outcomes
Previous knowledge Over 17 PPGIS surveys
Visitor support for proposed changes
Improve public transport Increase water sensitive grass
use Add urban forests Increase connecting trails Establish community gardens Increase use of non-native plants Add sustainable water features Allow natural water features to
dry up Increase paved areas Seasonal closures of some parks
6.18 6.16 6.14 6.02 5.45 5.41 5.06 4.09 3.67 3.14
Changes Means
http://www.landscapemap2.org/swparks3
Regional study area
Drag and drop markers
Zoom control to enforce map scale
Start survey questions
Marker descriptions Map type
PPGIS Website: Allowed spatial mapping of 47 possible park experiences, values, and development preferences
Hotspots of Aesthetic/scenic experiences
Aesthetic/scenicCrowding/congestion
Solitude/escape
Social interaction
Trail activity
Other physical activityOvernight
Learning/discovery
Wildlife viewing
0
5
10
15
20
Snowy River National Park
Aesthetic/scenicCrowding/congestion
Solitude/escape
Social interaction
Trail activity
Other physical activityOvernight
Learning/discovery
Wildlife viewing
0
5
10
15
20
Avon Wilderness Park
Aesthetic/scenicCrowding/congestion
Solitude/escape
Social interaction
Trail activity
Other physical activityOvernight
Learning/discovery
Wildlife viewing
0
5
10
15
20
Alpine National Park
Aesthetic/scenicCrowding/congestion
Solitude/escape
Social interaction
Trail activity
Other physical activityOvernight
Learning/discovery
Wildlife viewing
0
5
10
15
20
Howqua Hills H.A
In summary Complex issues such as climate change
require a transdisciplinary approach. PPGIS can provide us with a meaningful
social layer which is often the “missing puzzle piece” in terms of GIS data
Collecting data in the same format makes integrating data easier
JOIN THE QUEUE
Dr. Barb Koth and Dr. Delene Weber, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia
The difficulty of engaging rural Communities in park based volunteerism
We could do with some help at the
school
We need someone to help with managing the footy club, Little Athletics, and netball
The Opportunity Department for Environment and Natural
Resources interested in understanding how to improve community relations with parks where there is conflict
Wanted to engage community and increase volunteer base
We do a lot of work with park visitors and less with the communities surrounding the park
What we wanted…. A park with conflict within 4 hours
drive from Adelaide with a moderate population size and a clear demarcation of community
Lameroo-Pinnaroo RegionPark is over 270,000 hectares of vegetated sand dunes, mallee and heath.
120 species of birds
200km North East of Adelaide
Mean Max temp. 22.9°C
Mean Min temp 8.7°C
Population: 2,189
91% Born in Australia
36% of employment is in Agricultural
Approach Content analysis of
local papers and council minutes
Focus group representing landowners, CFS, feral animal control, 4x4 club, nature enthusiasts and teachers
Survey at the Pinnaroo show
Ongoing online resident feedback to encourage community dialogue.
Results Residents are satisfied with
the region as a place to live Most people believe people
like themselves can have ‘a lot’ of influence in taking action to protect the environment
Majority think the management of the park has improved over the last 5 years
When asked to describe their current level of involvement with the management and planning of Ngarkat CP 79% report no involvement.
In terms of desired level of involvement 43% preferred no involvement.
Why??
Reasons Most already volunteer
Figure dominated by women Most volunteer for between 4 - 7
organisations. Again greater number of organisations for
women compared to men Men tended to volunteer for Country Fire
Service Women tended to volunteer for various school,
sporting and church related groups. Lots were simply “burnt out”
Reasons Perception that Parks not in crisis and the
need was more urgent elsewhere. They don’t have strong attachment to the
park They didn’t feel they had the technical
skills to help Particularly an issue with female respondents
Results
Variable Measure Uninvolved with park (n=58)
Desired park engagement (n=60)
Familiarity with Ngarkat
Mean (5pt scale) 1.7 2.3
% ‘poor’ 22.4 6.6
Volunteer in community
% ‘yes’ 37.9 65.5
Volunteer burnout
Mean (5pt scale) 4.4 4.2
% strongly agree
54.2 43.9
Table 1: Statistically Significant Differences in Volunteerism Subgroups
Conclusion It is a resilient and optimistic community that has strong
place attacment to the region but not to the park Ngarket is a “good place for a picnic” There is a trust in the park agency at a local level but not
at the state level “The girls know what they are doing. Doing a lot better with fire
these days. Not a bunch of greenies. They know they benefit of burning off”
Conclusion Many people in the region volunteer If the park agency wants more help – they need to first
increase use of the park and demonstrate their commitment to the community
Be community minded – develop more creative volunteer opportunities
Provide training to build capacity. Don’t assume rural people know “the environment”.
