@mastersthesis {552,
	title = {Understanding the Place Attachment of Campers Along the Southern Ningaloo Coast, Australia},
	volume = {BSc (Hons)},
	year = {2012},
	month = {12/2012},
	pages = {210},
	school = {Murdoch University},
	type = {PhD},
	address = {Perth},
	abstract = {Place attachment and place related concepts were developed to examine bonds
individuals form with places. Place concepts have been adopted by managers of
natural areas to help refine their understanding of visitor preferences. These concepts,
consisting predominantly of place meanings and place attachment, have been studied
extensively in terrestrial natural areas with limited focus on marine and coastal areas.
Therefore this study aimed to use a mixed-method approach to understand place
meanings ascribed to coastal areas and the effect of place attachment on proenvironmental
behaviours and support for management actions.

The qualitative method photo-elicitation was employed to ascertain meanings
ascribed to Ningaloo Marine Park and its adjacent coastline. Analysis of participant
photographs and interviews identified four categories of meaning {\textendash} physical
environment, recreational activities, social ties and emotional connections {\textendash} with
each nuanced by the presence of water. This analysis identified a new form of
emotional connection {\textendash} everybody{\textquoteright}s happy {\textendash} which described the enjoyment of all
members of a group with a holiday to Ningaloo. This was included in a subsequent
quantitative visitor survey along with more traditional dimensions of place
attachment and questions pertaining to pro-environmental behaviours and
management actions.

Structural equation modelling identified place identity as the only dimension to have
a significant effect on on-site behaviours individuals would do themselves, telling
others to do these same behaviours, and off-site conservation actions. To identify the
relationships between dimensions of place attachment and support for management
actions each dimension was clustered based on level of attachment, with these
clusters subjected to multivariate stepwise correlation modelling (via PRIMER) with
the management actions. No significant relationships were found, other than with one
cluster within the everybody{\textquoteright}s happy place attachment dimension.

The thesis concludes with a research agenda suggesting further reflection on the
construction of place identity and its influences on perceptions of leisure settings.
Also required is consideration of the newly identified and reconceptualised construct
{\textendash} everybody{\textquoteright}s happy {\textendash} and its broader applicability beyond this coastal-based study.},
	keywords = {Coastal management, tourism},
	url = {http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/12611/},
	author = {Tonge, Joanna}
}
