Frontcountry vs. Backcountry, Who Understands 'Leave No Trace' Better?
A recent study (also available via .PDF) asked both frontcountry and backcountry campers at Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park and Alberta’s Peter Lougheed Provincial Park on who understands Leave No Trace better. Provincial parks in Canada are experiencing resource degradation, habitat loss, and lasting environmental impacts.
Leave No Trace aims to reduce environmentally-depreciative behaviours and promote responsible outdoor recreation through low-impact camping practices. The purpose of this study was to understand the level of perceived LNT knowledge of Canadian provincial parks users as well as determine park visitors' attitudes towards LNT practices.
The study showed…
Those who camped in the backcountry had higher self-reported levels of LNT knowledge
Those who camped in the frontcountry expressed pro-environment behavioural attitudes that more closely aligned with LNT practices.
Alberta park visitors reported higher levels of LNT knowledge and consistently demonstrated pro-environment behavioural attitudes more in line with LNT practices than those of park visitors in Ontario.
The results of the study will help park managers develop more effective education programs to in turn teach campers about the impacts they have on the area around themselves.
