Les services de tourisme de nature fournis par le patrimoine naturel sont des produits composites et le plus souvent non marchands. Financer la préservation de ce patrimoine par ses usagers est donc tributaire d’une connaissance fine des préférences des touristes et de la valeur qu’ils accordent à la nature. Cette thèse vise de contribuer au débat sur le financement de la préservation des espaces naturels et leurs aménités par les touristes en considérant comme point d’entrée l’hétérogénéité des comportements individuels selon une double perspective. D’abord, nous examinons les déterminants de cette hétérogénéité en termes de la demande de séjours de tourisme en pleine nature, ensuite nous nous penchons sur l’analyse de l’hétérogénéité en termes du mécanisme de contribution choisi par les agents, à savoir, un mécanisme de contribution volontaire ou un mécanisme de contribution contre une service rendu. Les motivations non-économiques de contribution et plus globalement les facteurs cognitifs, en lien avec d’autres caractéristiques individuelles des touristes structurent notre réflexion tout au long de cette thèse. Enfin, les résultats obtenus via cette analyse sont mis en contraste avec ceux issus de la mis en exergue d’un instrument de participation des touristes déjà mis en oeuvre: la taxation. Nous proposons une application aux séjours d’été effectués dans la région de l’estuaire de la Gironde en France. / Tourism services provided by natural environment are composites goods and often non-market. Funding the preservation of this heritage by its own users depends on a profound knowledge of the preferences of tourists and the value they place on nature. This thesis aims to contribute to the debate on the funding of natural areas and amenities preservation programs by tourists. To do so we consider as an entry point the individual’s behavior heterogeneity from two perspectives. First, we examine the determinants of heterogeneity in terms of the demand of nature tourism stay, and then we focus on the analysis of heterogeneity in terms of the contribution mechanism chosen by the agents, e.g., voluntary contribution mechanism or contribution mechanism against a service. The non-economic motivations for contributing and overall cognitive factors, considered in conjunction with other tourists’ individual characteristics, is the main thread structuring our reflection throughout this thesis. Finally, the results obtained through this analysis are contrasted with those from an instrument of tourists contributions already implemented: taxation. We propose an application for summer stays in the region of the Gironde estuary in France.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to gain a deep understanding of the shared experiences of therapists who provide counseling in non-traditional, natural environment settings. Eight participants shared their experiences about counseling in nature. The primary research question for this study was: What are the shared experiences of counselors who provide nature-based counseling? A review of the literature of nature-based counseling provided benefits to spending time in nature, descriptions of various types of nature-based counseling, and ethical and legal issues that affect nature-based counselors. Semi-structured interviews comprised of open-ended questions were used to collect data by phone and through the use of video conferencing software. Audio taped interviews were transcribed and analyzed for key words, descriptive terms, and themes. Additional materials provided by counselors were analyzed for themes and overarching themes. A cross-case analysis yielded seven super-ordinate themes. The research question and sub-questions were addressed by the super-ordinate themes. The super-ordinate themes are: 1) Major Tenets, 2) Training and Ethical Concerns, 3) Benefits, 4) Motivations for Using Nature, 5) Beliefs About Human Connection With Nature, 6) Counselor’s Role, and 7) Spirituality. I employed validation procedures throughout my research to ensure accuracy during the data interpretation, which included clarification of my biases, member checking, peer debriefing and peer review, and the use of “thick, rich description.” Implications for counselors and counselor educators are presented, with recommendations for further research. Personal reflections of the researcher were provided.

The natural environment is a key attraction for Australia???s tourism industry. In order to prevent the deterioration of the environment, environmental management measures have been adopted by the tourism industry. Some of these measures are related to environmental regulations imposed on tourism operators by governments. However, given the dependence of the nature-based tourism industry on the environment, voluntary environmental management measures have also been instituted. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of environmental management on the competitiveness of a nature-based tourism destination. For that purpose, Tropical North Queensland, a major Australian nature-based destination, is selected as a case study. Competitiveness is measured by the aggregate profitability of the tourism industry in the destination region. The investigation incorporates an assessment of the simultaneous effects of environmental management on the destination???s tourism demand and on business costs to tourism operators at the destination. The conceptual background to the investigations is discussed in the first part of the thesis. It includes the rationale for choosing a nature-based destination region as the unit of analysis. The conceptual framework is a departure from the conventional analysis of the relationship between the environment and international competitiveness in which the effect of regulatory compliance costs is emphasised. In this thesis, the potential demand benefits and the associated voluntary environmental management are added to the conventional analytical framework. The primary data for the analysis are derived from two separate investigations. The first comprises an analysis of the tourism industry in Tropical North Queensland. The second investigation involves a discrete choice modelling analysis of destination choices by prospective visitors to Tropical North Queensland. The empirical results show that it is justified to treat the nature-based tourism destination region, Tropical North Queensland, as an aggregate entity in the analysis. The destination competes as a collective unit with other destinations. This is done, predominantly, on the basis of the region???s high-quality natural attractions. The empirical analyses show that tourism businesses??? costs due to environmental management are small in comparison with the positive demand effects. The cost and demand effects are assessed in a quantitative fashion in an economic model. That analysis shows that environmental management makes a positive contribution to Tropical North Queensland???s competitiveness as a nature-based tourism destination.

According to Duxbury and Higgins 57% of full time employees reported high levels of stress. Stress is impacting the productivity, health and well-being of individuals, and the bottom line of employers. A growing body of evidence suggests exposure to nature, nature-based features, and biophilic design may offer a solution to reducing stress in the office workplace. This thesis brings together a comprehensive body of information drawn from the neurosciences and environmental psychology, including attention restoration theory (ART), psycho-evolutionary theory, Kellert’s biophilic design elements, and seven case studies, to propose key nature-based interior design strategies for stress reduction in office knowledge workers. Providing direct and indirect exposure to nature appears to have the strongest impact on mitigating the stress response. The importance of the integrated design process (IDP), post-occupancy evaluation (POE), and barriers to incorporating biophilia centred design practices are addressed and process strategies proposed. / October 2015

Högkänslighet, eller så kallad sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), har beskrivits som ett personlighetsdrag där individen bearbetar sensorisk information på ett djupare och starkare sätt än personer som inte är högkänsliga. Syftet med den aktuella studien var att, med hjälp av självskattningsformuläret ”the Highly Sensitive Person Scale” (HSP), undersöka högkänslighet mot skattningar av naturen (NR, NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience), grubbleri (RRQ-Rumination) och självreflektion (RRQ-Reflection), subjektivt välbefinnande (WHO) och upplevelser av mindfulness (MAAS). Undersökningen skedde via en webb-baserad enkät och omfattade 213 deltagare. Resultatet visade att individer som är mer högkänsliga värderar naturen högre, samt grubblar och reflekterar mer kring sig själva, än mindre högkänsliga personer. Inga signifikanta skillnader förelåg mellan grupperna vad gäller mindfulness eller välbefinnande. Resultatet tyder på att både en interaktion med naturen och mindfulness kan vara gynnsamt för högkänsliga individer. Denna studie kan utgöra en startpunkt för framtida forskning, där experimentella studier med upprepad mätning kan genomföras för att undersöka naturens roll för högkänsliga personer. / Sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) has been described as a personality trait where the individual process sensory information in a deeper and stronger way than people who are not highly sensitive. The aim of the present study was to, with the self-assessment form ”the Highly Sensitive Person Scale” (HSP), examine sensory-processing sensitivity against evaluations of nature (NR, NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience), rumination (RRQ-Rumination) and self-reflection (RRQ-Reflection), subjective well-being (WHO) and experiences of mindfulness (MAAS). The survey was done through a web-based questionnaire and included 213 participants. The results showed that individuals who are more highly sensitive value nature higher, and also ruminate and reflect more on themselves, than people who are less highly sensitive. No significant differences existed between the groups concerning mindfulness or subjective well-being. The results suggest that both an interaction with nature and mindfulness can be favourable for highly sensitive persons. This study can serve as a starting point for future research, where experimental studies with repeated measures can be conducted to investigate the role of nature for highly sensitive persons.

The natural environment is a key attraction for Australia???s tourism industry. In order to prevent the deterioration of the environment, environmental management measures have been adopted by the tourism industry. Some of these measures are related to environmental regulations imposed on tourism operators by governments. However, given the dependence of the nature-based tourism industry on the environment, voluntary environmental management measures have also been instituted. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of environmental management on the competitiveness of a nature-based tourism destination. For that purpose, Tropical North Queensland, a major Australian nature-based destination, is selected as a case study. Competitiveness is measured by the aggregate profitability of the tourism industry in the destination region. The investigation incorporates an assessment of the simultaneous effects of environmental management on the destination???s tourism demand and on business costs to tourism operators at the destination. The conceptual background to the investigations is discussed in the first part of the thesis. It includes the rationale for choosing a nature-based destination region as the unit of analysis. The conceptual framework is a departure from the conventional analysis of the relationship between the environment and international competitiveness in which the effect of regulatory compliance costs is emphasised. In this thesis, the potential demand benefits and the associated voluntary environmental management are added to the conventional analytical framework. The primary data for the analysis are derived from two separate investigations. The first comprises an analysis of the tourism industry in Tropical North Queensland. The second investigation involves a discrete choice modelling analysis of destination choices by prospective visitors to Tropical North Queensland. The empirical results show that it is justified to treat the nature-based tourism destination region, Tropical North Queensland, as an aggregate entity in the analysis. The destination competes as a collective unit with other destinations. This is done, predominantly, on the basis of the region???s high-quality natural attractions. The empirical analyses show that tourism businesses??? costs due to environmental management are small in comparison with the positive demand effects. The cost and demand effects are assessed in a quantitative fashion in an economic model. That analysis shows that environmental management makes a positive contribution to Tropical North Queensland???s competitiveness as a nature-based tourism destination.

No description available.

The connection between human and nature is fading away as society gets more modernised, with increased stress-levels as a result. Interventions based on green care have proven to give stress-reducing effects for a variety of client-groups. Using a qualitative literature study approach, the aim with this paper was to investigate how occupational therapists work within the green care area and what effects such interventions could have. The literature-search was carried out both manually and within databases. Fifteen papers were found that fulfilled the criteria for inclusion and were used for analysis. The data-analysis resulted in four categories; “Activity as goal and means”, “Investigation, evaluation and collaboration”, “Decreasing stress and increasing wellbeing” and “Sense of fellowship and belonging”. Concluding results show that occupational therapists administrates and leads programs within green care. Furthermore, the most pronounced effects were decreased stress and improved well-being. Implementing green care within occupational therapist operations has advantages and can be a valuable therapeutic tool.

Syfte: Syftet var att klargöra innebörden av shinrin yoku genom att identifiera begreppets förutsättningar, definierande attribut och konsekvenser för att om möjligt vidga distriktssköterskans hälsofrämjande kompetens och behandlingsalternativ. Bakgrund: Sveriges hälso- och sjukvård står inför ett antal betydande utmaningar och förbättringsbehov och satsningar eftersträvas för att förebygga sjukdomar och utvidga primärvården. I framtiden kommer sannolikt distriktssköterskan i större utsträckning att arbeta med levnadsvanerelaterad ohälsa. Naturens positiva och hälsofrämjande effekter belyses allt mer inom forskningen och det finns nu evidens som visar att naturen fun-gerar avslappnande och främjar återhämtning efter stress men också av immunförsvaret. Paradigmskiften börjar göra plats för naturen i vården. Forskning har visat att begreppet och naturterapin shinrin yoku ger flertalet hälsofrämjande effekter men shinrin yokus definition är dock oklar och skiftar betydelse beroende på sammanhang vilket är förvirrande. Metod: Walker och Avants begreppsanalys i åtta steg. Resultat: Shinrin yoku kännetecknas av attributen skogsvistelse, långsam promenad, aktivera sinnena, mindfulness, fytoncider och ingen prestation. Förut-sättningarna är skogsliknande miljö, stillhet, bortkopplad teknik och guide. Konsekvenser: shinrin yoku ger hälsofrämjande effekter inom sex olika områden: hjärta och kärl, psyke och humör, det endokrina systemet, immunförsvaret, hjärnan och det autonoma nervsystemet samt inflammation. Slutsats: Shinrin yoku kan vara betydande ur ett folkhälsoperspektiv då det kan ses som en stresslindrande faktor och hälsofrämjande resurs. Naturterapin kan användas som prevention, komplement eller enskild behandling i distriktssköterskans hälsofrämjande arbete beroende på vilka behoven är. Det är ett holistiskt sätt att må bättre som tar vara på naturens resurser utan att skada den. / Aim: The aim was to clarify the meaning of shinrin yoku by identifying the concept’s antecedants, defining attributes and consequences in order to possibly expand the district nurse’s health enhancing competence and treatment options. Background: Swedish healthcare is facing a number of considerable challenges and improvement requirements and investments are made to prevent illnesses and enlarge the primary care. In the future the distict nurse will probably work with second nature related ill health in a larger extent. More science illuminates the positive and health enhancing effects of nature and evidence shows that nature works relaxing and promotes recover after stress but also of the immune system. Paradigm changes is making room for nature in health care. Science has shown that the concept and nature therapy of shinrin yoku gives plenty of health enhancing effect but shinrin yoku’s definition is unclear and changes meaning depending on context which is confusing. Method: Walker and Avant’s concept analysis in eight steps. Findings: Shinrin yoku is defined by its attributes forest visit, slow walk, activating the senses, mindfulness, phytoncides and no achievement. Its antecedents are a forest-style environment, serenity, switched-off technology and guide. Consequences: shinrin yoku brings health enhancing effects in six different areas: heart and blood vessels, psyche and mood, the endocrine system, the immune system, the brain and the autonomic nervous system and inflammation. Conclusion: Shinrin yoku can be considerable from a public health perspective though it can be seen as a stress relieving factor as well as a health enhancing resource. The therapy can be used as prevention, complement or separate treatment depending on the needs. It is a holistic way of feeling better that makes the most of nature without harming it.

To remedy the negative effects of wetland drainage activities that took place in Sweden during the 1800s, measures to create, restore and recreate wetlands have gained increased attention as nature-based solutions. While wetlands provide cost-effective long-term solutions and co-benefits that help achieve national and international environmental objectives, targets relating to wetland measures have fallen short. The study aim was to investigate drivers, policy influence and barriers to wetland implementation on the local level and to discuss potential success parameters. Local stakeholder experiences were collected using survey design with open, closed, and partially close-ended questions, analysed with thematic analysis. The findings identified drivers relating to ecological and social benefits, climate change, and multifunctionality- and indicated that policy objectives on the national level influence drivers on the local level. Furthermore, barriers towards wetland implementation were identified, fuelled by a lack of communication, policies that rely on one-size-fits-all approaches, and a lack of resources for administration. Potential success parameters to address the barriers include improved collaboration between and within wetland projects, financial incentives for landowners and administration, maintenance plans, systems for follow-up outside of the policy instruments, and increased flexibility for wetland projects that take into account the natural variability of wetlands. The findings can lay the foundation for further research exploring more in-depth the identified barriers and success parameters to help set new policy directives and suggestions for how wetland measures could be implemented at a larger scale in the future.