Tourism can shape environmental sensitivity in youths

Significant life experiences (SLEs) are formative experiences had in childhood that can be incredibly influential in shaping how a person thinks or behaves as an adult. Such experiences can be positive or negative, and can influence an individual's environmental sensitivity, which is one's predisposition to take interest in learning about, feeling concern for, and conserving the environment. Previous research has emphasized the importance of SLEs in developing an individual's environmental sensitivity, however, this research largely focuses on adults, despite the most influential SLEs occurring in childhood. To address this gap in research, this study focused on the SLEs of children and young adults living in a coastal town in Australia. The researchers aimed to determine how growing up in a tourist destination influences younger residents' environmental sensitivity.

The study took place in Byron Shire, on the east coast of Australia, over 12 months from 2014 to 2015. Byron Shire is a popular beach destination for tourists; however, as tourism increases, there has been growing concern among residents regarding the health of the local environment. A total of 74 children and young adults from Byron Shire, ages 10 to 24 years, participated in the study. The majority of these youth participants, recruited through local youth and community groups, were between 15 and 18 years old and had lived in Byron Shire for at least five years. A total of 17 interviews and 14 focus groups were conducted with the 74 youth participants. Each interview was semi-structured and lasted between 30 and 160 minutes. The young people interviewed were asked about their community, particularly what they liked and wanted to change. Fourteen adults in community or youth-centric roles were also interviewed for additional context; The researchers asked the adult participants general questions about what they liked about their community, what they disliked, and anything they would like to change about their community. Twenty of the youth participants also wrote and created stop-motion animations, as well as participated in 11 additional interviews as part of the project. These twenty participants met as a group once a week for six weeks in collaboration with a local filmmaker and non-profit youth organization to write a story and create the animation. The animations and the recordings from the interviews and focus groups were analyzed for common themes.

The researchers found that young people living in Byron Shire had deep concerns about the effects of tourism on the environment in their community. Many participants had negative attitudes towards tourism in the area and expressed concerns about the changes occurring in the area due to increased tourism. They also noted that tourists often do not respect the local environment. Many participants referred to littering as the most glaring evidence of this phenomenon. Most of the youth participants also identified themselves as environmentally conscious community members, and the adults who were interviewed agreed with this assertion.

The researchers concluded that the data collected in the study cannot necessarily establish a direct connection to environmental action in the future. However, it was clear that youth participants had significant environmental sensitivity, perhaps due to living in a tourist destination. This environmental sensitivity could have moderate to strong links to sustained environmental action later in life. Many of the conversations in the interviews and focus groups revolved around a central theme of environmental stewardship and activism, specifically the role youths felt they could play in environmental stewardship.

This study had limitations. The researchers focused on youths in the Byron Shire area, which is unusual in its number of tourists as it has a popular bathing and surfing beach relatively uncommon on the east coast of Australia. Because it is a somewhat unique area, the research findings may not be applicable to other communities in Australia or in the world.

The researchers made recommendations based on their findings. They suggest that nurturing the environmental sensitivity of children who grow up in tourist destinations can foster civic responsibility for environmental protection. The researchers noted young people exhibited a strong sense care for the environment in their interviews and it showed they have an important role to play in environmental stewardship as youth. They suggest adults, like EE practitioners, should encourage youth participation in the community and conservation organizations, such as through beach clean-ups or community science projects.