Assessing pro-environmental behaviors and implications for integrated conservation in protected areas: A study of visitors and entrepreneurs in the Asinara National Park, Italy
-
Author(s)Marta MeledduLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3081-0584
,
Manuela PulinaLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2975-1786
,
Marco VanniniLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9685-0736
,
Marilena VeccoLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6894-4361
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ee.14(2).2023.03
-
Article InfoVolume 14 2023, Issue #2, pp. 28-48
- Cited by
- 410 Views
-
188 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Understanding pro-environmental behaviors in protected areas is vital for effective resource management, visitor management, infrastructure development, and conservation strategies. Therefore, this study aims to assess environmentally friendly practices and behaviors (eco-practices) of visitors (demand side) and entrepreneurs and tour operators (supply side) to explore the implications for the long-term sustainability of the protected area. The study utilizes the shared value framework and the value-belief-norm theory extended to environmentalism to investigate the relevant values for pro-environmental behaviors. The paper focuses on the Asinara National Park in Italy. It employs a partial least squares-structural equation model to analyze the pro-environmental behavior and willingness to commit to conservation goals. The findings reveal that visitors demonstrate a willingness to commit to eco-practices in a protected area based upon non-extractive cultural ecosystem services (path coefficient = 0.196*) and accept earmarked taxation (path coefficient = 0.254***), which indicates their loyalty and satisfaction with their visit. On the other hand, entrepreneurs are motivated by internally adopted ecological practices (path coefficient = 0.509***) and altruistic reasons (path coefficient = 0.377**). In conclusion, the study emphasizes aligning service and facility supply with demand and the mission of protected areas to achieve balanced and sustainable resource management. By understanding and promoting pro-environmental behaviors, long-term resilience can be ensured for protected areas, benefiting both the environment and the visitors.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the participants of the XI Workshop on Institutions, Individual Behavior and Economic Outcomes, Session Environmental and Ecological Economics, Corte (France) and at the Research Meeting Seminar, Burgundy School of Business, Dijon (France) for their helpful comments. We also thank Fondazione di Sardegna (Economia e Benessere tra Società e Istituzioni), grant 2022–2023, Programme 2014–2020 INTERREG V-A Italy – France Maritime (grant EcoSTRIM), and Fondo di Ateneo UNISS 2020 for financial support.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)Q26, Q57, C31, C38
-
References67
-
Tables12
-
Figures7
-
- Figure 1. Conceptual framework (on the demand side)
- Figure 2. Conceptual framework (on the supply side)
- Figure 3. Methodological approach
- Figure A1. Bar chart of loadings of demand items
- Figure A2. Demand structural model
- Figure A3. Bar chart of loading supply items
- Figure A4. Supply structural model
-
- Table 1. Main statistics: PLS-SEM for the demand side
- Table 2. Measurement model (demand side)
- Table 3. Structural model – Standardized path coefficients (Bootstrap)
- Table 4. Main statistics: PLS-SEM for the supply side
- Table 5. Measurement model (supply side)
- Table 6. Structural model relationships (supply side)
- Table A1. Description of the items employed in the model specification (demand side)
- Table A2. Description of the items employed in the model specification (supply side)
- Table A3. Descriptive statistics demand side – Socio-demographic characteristics
- Table A4. Descriptive statistics supply side – Socio-demographic characteristics
- Table A5. Descriptive statistics supply side – Business information
- Table A6. Descriptive statistics supply sample – Activities
-
- Abadi, T. W., Balahmar, A. R. U., & Choiriyah, I. U. (2020). The nexus of local government involvement and marine sustainable ecotourism development: Mediating role of supply chain management. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 9(3), 642-648.
- Ahtola, O. T. (1975). The vector model of preferences: An alternative to the Fishbein model. Journal of Marketing Research, 12(1), 52-59.
- Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.
- Andrade, R., van Riper, C. J., Goodson, D., Johnson, D. N., & Stewart, W. (2022). Learning pathways for engagement: Understanding drivers of pro-environmental behavior in the context of protected area management. Journal of Environmental Management, 323, 116204.
- Arcos-Aguilar, R., Favoretto, F., Kumagai, J. A., Jiménez-Esquivel, V., Martínez-Cruz, A. L., & Aburto-Oropeza, O. (2021). Diving tourism in Mexico – Economic and conservation importance. Marine Policy, 126, 104410.
- Aseres, S. A., & Sira, R. K. (2020). Estimating travelers’ willingness to pay for a conservation fund: sustainable financing approach in protected areas in Ethiopia. Heliyon, 6(8), e04500.
- Bravo-Vargas, V., García, R. A., Pizarro, J. C., & Pauchard, A. (2019). Do people care about pine invasions? Visitor perceptions and willingness to pay for pine control in a protected area. Journal of Environmental Management, 229, 57-66.
- Cheng, X., Van Damme, S., & Uyttenhove, P. (2021). A review of empirical studies of cultural ecosystem services in urban green infrastructure. Journal of Environmental Management, 293, 112895.
- Chin, W. W., & Newsted, P. R. (1999). Structural equation modeling analysis with small samples using partial least squares. In R. Hoyle (Ed.), Statistical Strategies for Small Sample Research (pp. 307-341). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Cohen, B., & Winn, M. I. (2007). Market imperfections, opportunity and sustainable entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(1), 29-49.
- Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillside, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Corbau, C., Benedetto, G., Congiatu, P. P., Simeoni, U., & Carboni, D. (2019). Tourism analysis at Asinara Island (Italy): Carrying capacity and web evaluations in two pocket beaches. Ocean & Coastal Management, 169, 27-36.
- Das, M., & Chatterjee, B. (2015). Ecotourism: A panacea or a predicament? Tourism Management Perspectives, 14, 3-16.
- Dixon, S., & Clifford, A. (2007). Ecopreneurship – A new approach to managing the triple bottom line. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 20(3), 326-345.
- Esfandiar, K., Pearce, J., Dowling, R., & Goh, E. (2022). Pro-environmental behaviours in protected areas: A systematic literature review and future research directions. Tourism Management Perspectives, 41, 100943.
- Ezza, A., Fadda, N., Sale, I., Meleddu, M., Pulina, M., & Vannini, M. (2021). Ecoturismo e ecoturismi nel parco nazionale dell’Asinara (Final Report). Sassari: Progetto EcoStrim. Project Internal Report.
- Ferreira, H. M., Magris, R. A., Floeter, S. R., & Ferreira, C. E. (2022). Drivers of ecological effectiveness of marine protected areas: A meta-analytic approach from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Brazil). Journal of Environmental Management, 301, 113889.
- Fishbein, M., & Cappella, J. (2006). The role of theory in developing effective health communications. Journal of Communication, 56(suppl_1), S1-S17.
- Garcia, C. M., Ranay, A. A., Apdohan, J. R. D., Amarille, M. C., Lador, R. P., & Seronay, R. A. (2019). Tourists perception and willingness to pay for the conservation of ecotourism resources in Sohoton Cove, Surigao del Norte, Philippines. Journal of Ecosystem Science and Eco-Governance, 1(1), 7-14.
- Gudergan, S. P., Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Will, A. (2008). Confirmatory tetrad analysis in PLS path modeling. Journal of Business Research, 61(12), 1238-1249.
- Gupta, P., Chauhan, S., Paul, J., & Jaiswal, M. P. (2020). Social entrepreneurship research: A review and future research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 113, 209-229.
- Haines-Yong, R., & Potschin, M. (2012). CICES Version 4: Response to consultation. Centre for Environmental Management, University of Nottingham.
- Haines-Young, R., & Potschin, M. (2018). Common international classification of ecosystem services (CICES) V5.1 and guidance on the application of the revised structure. Fabis Consulting Ltd.
- Hemel, D., & Porter, E. (2022). Aligning taxes and spending: Theory and experimental evidence. Behavioural Public Policy, 6(3), 464-484.
- Henseler, J., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Goodness-of-fit indices for partial least squares path modeling. Computational Statistics, 28(2), 565-580.
- Hultman, M., Kazeminia, A., & Ghasemi, V. (2015). Intention to visit and willingness to pay premium for ecotourism: The impact of attitude, materialism, and motivation. Journal of Business Research, 68(9), 1854-1861.
- Hwang, K., & Lee, J. (2018). Antecedents and consequences of ecotourism behavior: Independent and interdependent self-construals, ecological belief, willingness to pay for ecotourism services and satisfaction with life. Sustainability, 10(3), 789.
- Imran, S., Alam, K., & Beaumont, N. (2014). Environmental orientations and environmental behaviour: Perceptions of protected area tourism stakeholders. Tourism Management, 40, 290-299.
- Kaiser, F. G., Wolfing, S., & Fuhrer, U. (1999). Environmental attitude and ecological behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19(1), 1-19.
- Kazeminia, A., Hultman, M., & Mostaghel, R. (2016). Why pay more for sustainable services? The case of ecotourism. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), 4992-4997.
- Kirkwood, J., & Walton, S. (2010). What motivates ecopreneurs to start businesses? International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 16(3), 204-228.
- Koellner, T., Sell, J., & Navarro, G. (2010). Why and how much are firms willing to invest in ecosystem services from tropical forests? A comparison of international and Costa Rican firms. Ecological Economics, 69(11), 2127-2139.
- Krueger, O. (2005). The role of ecotourism in conservation: Panacea or Pandora’s box? Biodiversity & Conservation, 14(3), 579-600.
- Lee, Y. K., Pei, F., Ryu, K. S., & Choi, S. (2019). Why the tripartite relationship of place attachment, loyalty, and pro-environmental behaviour matter? Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 24(3), 250-267.
- Liebe, U., Preisendörfer, P., & Meyerhoff, J. (2011). To pay or not to pay: Competing theories to explain individuals’ willingness to pay for public environmental goods. Environment and Behavior, 43(1), 106-130.
- López-Mosquera, N., & Sánchez, M. (2012). Theory of planned behavior and the value-belief-norm theory explaining willingness to pay for a suburban park. Journal of Environmental Management, 113, 251-262.
- Mekawy, M. A. (2012). Responsible slum tourism: Egyptian experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(4), 2092-2113.
- Meleddu, M., & Pulina, M. (2016). Evaluation of individual’s intention to pay a premium price for ecotourism: An exploratory study. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 65, 67-78.
- Meleddu, M., Paci, R., & Pulina, M. (2015). Repeated behaviour and destination loyalty. Tourism Management, 50, 159-171.
- Moise, M. S., Gil-Saura, I., & Ruiz-Molina, M. E. (2021). Green practices as antecedents of functional value, guest satisfaction and loyalty. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 4(5), 722-738.
- Mottiar, Z., Boluk, K., & Kline, C. (2018). The roles of social entrepreneurs in rural destination development. Annals of Tourism Research, 68, 77-88.
- Moya Calderón, M., Chavarría Esquivel, K., Arrieta García, M. M., & Lozano, C. B. (2022). Tourist behaviour and dynamics of domestic tourism in times of COVID-19. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(14), 2207-2211.
- Muñoz-Santos, M., & Benayas, J. (2012). A proposed methodology to assess the quality of public use management in protected areas. Environmental Management, 50, 106-122.
- Panta, S. K., & Thapa, B. (2018). Entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment in gateway communities of Bardia National Park, Nepal. Journal of Ecotourism, 17(1), 20-42.
- Passafaro, P. (2020). Attitudes and tourists’ sustainable behavior: An overview of the literature and discussion of some theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of Travel Research, 59(4), 579-601.
- Piñeiro-Chousa, J., López-Cabarcos, M. Á., Romero-Castro, N., & Vázquez-Rodríguez, P. (2021). Sustainable tourism entrepreneurship in protected areas. A real options assessment of alternative management options. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 33(3-4), 249-272.
- Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2019). Creating shared value. In G. G. Lenssen, & N. C. Smith (Eds.), Managing Sustainable Business (pp. 323-346). Dordrecht: Springer.
- Presenza A., Abbate, T., Meleddu, M., & Sheehan, L. (2020). Start-up entrepreneurs’ personality traits. An exploratory analysis of the Italian tourism industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(17), 2146-2164.
- Pulina, M., & Meleddu, M. (2012). Defining a marine protected area strategy: A stakeholder perspective. Ocean & Coastal Management, 66, 46-55.
- Ressurreição, A., Cardigos, F., Giacomello, E., Leite, N., Oliveira, F., Kaiser, M. J., Gonçalves, J., & Santos, R. S. (2022). The value of marine ecotourism for an European outermost region. Ocean & Coastal Management, 222, 106129.
- Restall, B., & Conrad, E. (2015). A literature review of connectedness to nature and its potential for environmental management. Journal of Environmental Management, 159, 264-278.
- Restall, B., Conrad, E., & Cop, C. (2021). Connectedness to nature: Mapping the role of protected areas. Journal of Environmental Management, 293, 112771.
- Ryan, T., Mottiar, Z., & Quinn, B. (2012). The dynamic role of entrepreneurs in destination development. Tourism Planning & Development, 9(2), 119-131.
- Shasha, Z. T., Geng, Y., Sun, H., Musakwas, W., & Sun, L. (2020). Past, current, and future perspectives on ecotourism: A bibliometric review between 2001 and 2018. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(19), 23514-23528.
- Shepherd, D. A., & Patzelt, H. (2011). Entrepreneurship: Studying entrepreneurial action linking “What is to be sustained” with “What is to be developed”. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1), 137-163.
- Spenceley, A. (2021). The future of nature-based tourism: Impacts of COVID-19 and paths to sustainability. Luc Hoffmann Institute.
- Spenceley, A., McCool, S., Newsome, D., Báez, A., Barborak, J. R., Blye, C.-J., Bricker, K., Sigit Cahyadi, H., Corrigan, K., Halpenny, E., Hvenegaard, G., Malleret King, D., Leung, Y.-F., Mandić, A., Naidoo, R., Rüede, D., Sano, J., Sarhan, M., Santamaria, V., … Zschiegner, A. K. (2021). Tourism in protected and conserved areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Parks, 27, 103-118.
- Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Abel, T., Guagnano, G., & Kalof, L. (1999). A value-belief-norm theory of support for social movements: The case of environmentalism. Human Ecology Review, 6(2), 81-97.
- Thapa, B., & Parent, G. (2020). Tourists’ willingness to accept/pay increased entry fees for park improvement projects. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(3), 265-269.
- Tilley, F., & Parrish, B. D. (2006). Introduction: Sustainability entrepreneurship research. Greener Management International, 55, 5-12.
- Van Riper, C. J., & Kyle, G. T. (2014). Understanding the internal processes of behavioral engagement in a national park: A latent variable path analysis of the value-belief-norm theory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 288-297.
- Vecco, M. (2019). Value and values of cultural heritage. In A. Campelo, L. Reynolds, A. Lindgreen, & M. L. Beverland (Eds.), Cultural Heritage: A Research Anthology (pp. 23-38). Oxfordshire: Routledge.
- Venturini, S., & Mehmetoglu, M. (2019). PLSSEM: A Stata package for structural equation modeling with partial least squares. Journal of Statistical Software, 88(8), 1-34.
- Vinzi, V. E., Trinchera, L., & Amato, S. (2010). PLS path modeling: from foundations to recent developments and open issues for model assessment and improvement. In V. E. Vinzi, W. W. Chin, J. Henseler, & H. Wang (Eds.), Handbook of partial least squares (pp. 47-82). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.
- Wetzels, M., Odekerken-Schröder, G., & van Oppen, C. (2009). Using PLS path modeling for assessing hierarchical construct models: Guidelines and empirical illustration. MIS Quarterly, 33(1), 177-195.
- Xu, H., Cheung, L. T., Lovett, J., Duan, X., Pei, Q., & Liang, D. (2023). Understanding the influence of user-generated content on tourist loyalty behavior in a cultural World Heritage Site. Tourism Recreation Research, 48(2), 173-187.
- Zhang, H., Zhang, J., & Cai, L. (2023). Effects of cultural ecosystem services on travelers’ subjective well-being: Evidence from China’s national park and flower expo. Journal of Travel Research, 62(4), 768-781.
-
The role of filial piety in career interest alignment, identity alignment, and affective commitment: Evidence from Indonesia
Sakti Hendra Pramudya 
,
Jhanghiz Syahrivar ,
Chairy Chairy
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(1).2022.35
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 20, 2022 Issue #1 pp. 432-444 Views: 1961 Downloads: 367 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯIn Indonesia, where most business organizations are family-owned, culture influences family employees’ behavior. Filial piety, or honoring the seniors, is considered a significant cultural value that motivates the family employees to be committed to the business. This study aims to test the effect of filial piety on identity alignment, career interest alignment, and affective commitment. Quantitative analysis is conducted to test the hypotheses of this study using purposive sampling based on questionnaire survey responses from 270 junior family business employees. The study employs Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis with the SmartPLS software to test the hypotheses. The test result shows that: 1) filial piety has a positive effect on identity alignment and career interest alignment, 2) identity alignment has a positive effect on affective commitment, and 3) career interest alignment has a positive effect on affective commitment. The study illustrates how filial piety affects junior family employee behavior, an issue that has not been addressed before in Asian family business studies.
Acknowledgment
The publication of this study is supported by Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L) LPPM fund. -
The influence of trust, communication and commitment on ethical behavior in universities: a case of South Africa
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 15, 2017 Issue #2 (cont. 1) pp. 266-276 Views: 1390 Downloads: 603 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯThis study examines the influence of trust, communication and commitment, that have on ethical behavior in universities in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Three hypotheses are posited in this research. The empirical test of hypotheses based on a sample data set of 450 respondents from universities in the Gauteng province of South Africa was provided. IBM SPSS statistics 24.0 and IBM SPSS Amos 24.0 software were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that trust, communication and commitment positively influence ethical behavior in universities. Drawing from the study’s findings, managerial implications are discussed and limitations and future research directions are suggested. This study contributes new knowledge to the existing body of ethical behavior literature and organizational behavior theories in Africa.
-
Relationship between adopting servant leadership style and employee commitment: Empirical evidence from Jordanian governmental hospitals
Atef Raoush
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(1).2022.25
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 20, 2022 Issue #1 pp. 299-309 Views: 1166 Downloads: 1070 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯBusinesses face a constant struggle in developing leaders who are devoted to serving and developing their people. Therefore, recognizing the link between servant leadership and employee commitment can help organizations establish a more positive working environment, leading to improved employee and organizational performance. This study aims to investigate the relationship between adopting servant leadership by hospital managers and employee commitment within Jordanian governmental hospitals. This paper employs a cross-sectional study design including a quantitative data collection method. Using a simple random sampling method, data were collected from 389 hospital staff employed by Jordanian governmental hospitals. The data were analyzed using Pearson (r) correlation coefficient with hypothesis testing. Research findings revealed a significant positive relationship between the adoption of a servant leadership style by government hospital managers and employee commitment (r = 0.633, Sig. < 0.01). Furthermore, the study showed that demographic variables including gender, age, education, and experience were not associated significantly with employee commitment. The study’s results can help hospital managers develop and practice servant leadership, who are expected to increase employee commitment and achieve organizational objectives.
Acknowledgment
The publication of this study has been supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies at Philadelphia University – Jordan.
