Research sought to evaluate environmental attitudes, environmental knowledge, and nature-based recreation in Mississippi upper-elementary adolescents, as delineated by race/ethnicity and gender. Research was conducted Spring 2015 in eight study schools using three survey instruments. Analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA, univariate analysis of variance, and generalized linear mixed models. Results found that no gender differences exist between environmental attitudes or knowledge; however, Caucasian/White students displayed significantly higher environmental knowledge and attitudes versus their African American/Black peers. Additionally, a positive relationship was detected between attitudes and knowledge of study participants. Outdoor, nature-based recreation participation varied along race/ethnicity and gender, with Caucasian/White and male students displaying higher levels of participation. These results suggest a need for targeted environmental education programs for African American/Black students to include integrated knowledge components, as well as increased recreation opportunities for African American/Black and female study participants

Outdoor recreation is an ongoing global trend that has been boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has contributed to an increase in visitor numbers in protected areas in Sweden. This qualitative interview study aims at exploring how the increasing outdoor recreation trend can proceed alongside nature conservation. Semi structured interviews were conducted with eight visitor centre supervisors and six park managers in eight protected areas in Sweden. The results suggest that most protected areas have seen an increase in visitor numbers. The negative effects of an increase in visitor numbers experienced by the informants include trampling, effects on wildlife and littering. Preventive visitor management strategies are used by visitor centre supervisors and park managers to mitigate negative effects in protected areas. These include providing information about rules and regulation, physical presence, collaboration, physical measures and dispersal of visitors. Apart from these strategies, the result show that future action to mitigate the negative effects of high visitor numbers can include creating visitor engagement, performing studies on trampling effects and wildlife disturbance as well as bans and limitations. However, further research is needed to determine the effects and accuracy of these strategies.

This thesis studies the role of community cultural wealth (CCW), an asset-based framework, and environmental education (EE) to better understand how to support Black, Asian, and Latine individuals in their interactions with nature (chapter 1) and civic engagement related to the environment (chapter 2) - two activities that have been impacted by structural racism in the US. In the introduction, we give a brief overview of how historical segregation and structural racism impacts equity in outdoor spaces, how EE may be an avenue for increased equity in these spaces, a brief overview of CCW, and existing research on drivers of participation in nature-based activities and civic engagement related to the environment. In chapter 1, we use interviews and surveys to understand how CCW, EE, and the intersection of gender and race are associated with Black, Asian, and Latine individuals' participation in nature-based activities. We found that social connections, connections with organizations, family, community, and EE can provide the necessary skills, information, and emotional support to persist in nature-based activities. Using the same interviews and surveys, chapter 2 investigates how EE and CCW are associated with Black, Asian, and Latine participation in civic engagement related to the environment. The results of this study show that a knowledge of systems of oppression and the motivation to challenge those oppressive systems are important predictors for the civic engagement related to the environment of Black, Asian, and Latine individuals. Additionally, EE, social connections, community organizations, and family provide opportunities to participate in civic engagement related to the environment and the skills and information necessary to participate. The findings from this thesis contribute valuable insights to initiatives aimed at enhancing equity in nature-based activities and civic engagement related to the environment. Such efforts can provide individuals with the benefits of interactions with nature, equip them with tools to address adverse environmental impacts in their communities, and ultimately foster broader support for the environmental movement. Additionally, this study could help public land managers reach a broader portion of their constituents and stay relevant in a rapidly diversifying US. / Master of Science / In the face of global environmental crises such as climate change and biodiversity loss, scholars are pointing to nature-based recreation and civic engagement related to the environment as potential avenues for addressing these pressing issues. Positive interaction with nature not only provides cognitive, emotional, and physiological benefits to people, but also improves pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Civic engagement related to the environment benefits people and the planet as well – by creating more equitable and representative societies and by providing an avenue to address environmental issues. However, both nature-based recreation and civic engagement related to the environment have historically been impacted by structural racism and by the framing of the outdoor narrative in the US as a "White space", which still disproportionately impacts people's participation today. To help address these inequities, this thesis investigates the role of community cultural wealth (CCW), an asset-based framework, and environmental education (EE) in supporting Black, Asian, and Latine individual's participation in nature-based activities and civic engagement related to the environment. Results from semi-structured interviews and a nationwide survey showed that social connections, family ties, community organizations, and previous experiences with EE significantly influenced the involvement of Black, Asian, and Latine individuals in nature-based activities. These factors, along with an understanding of structures of oppression, were also important precursors to civic engagement related to the environment in our study. Our findings suggest that creating institutional opportunities (e.g., community organizations or affinity groups) for both nature interaction and civic engagement related to the environment may be a key method of diversifying outdoor spaces. Additionally, our results suggest that increasing equity within EE is necessary to expand its benefits.

This thesis study assesses the accessibility of green spaces with recreational values in Stockholm. Urban green spaces are considered beneficial for human well-being and for mitigating the negative effects of climate change and increased urbanisation. However, the specific social values that green spaces can provide are often overlooked in green space policies, which tend to focus on proximity and size. Access to urban green spaces with the four specific recreational values greenery, play, tranquillity, and walks, was assessed using a network analysis based on a sociotope map that indicates the social value of all public green spaces in Stockholm. Moreover, the accomplishments of the city's greenery goals have been examined. The study has identified differences in accessibility between areas with different qualities and identified focus areas that require improvements. Differentiation between the qualities has led to more accurate information about the accessibility of green spaces. It can provide a basis for more effective measurement to improve accessibility in the municipality. Since the method is tied to the sociotope map as a data basis, further research is needed to make the method applicable to other municipalities. More-over, the results can be applied in multi-criteria analyses of urban development scenarios to incorporate the social significance of green spaces and user perspectives into planning practices. / Detta examensarbete utvärderar tillgängligheten till grönområden med rekreationsvärden i Stockholm. Grönområden i städer anses vara gynnsamma för människors välbefinnande och för att mildra de negativa effekterna av klimatförändringar och ökad urbanisering. De specifika sociala värden som grönområden kan erbjuda bortprioriteras dock ofta i grönområdespolicyer, som tenderar att fokusera på närhet och storlek. Tillgången till urbana grönområden med de fyra specifika rekreationsvärdena grönska, lek, lugn och promenader bedömdes med hjälp av en nätverksanalys baserad på en sociotopkarta som visar det sociala värdet av alla offentliga grönområden i Stockholm. Dessutom har uppfyllelsen av stadens mål för grönska undersökts. Studien har identifierat skillnader i tillgänglighet mellan områden med olika kvaliteter och identifierat fokusområden som kräver förbättringar. Differentieringen mellan kvaliteterna har lett till mer exakt information om tillgängligheten till grönområden. Det kan ge en grund för mer effektiva åtgärder för att förbättra tillgängligheten i kommunen. Eftersom metoden är knuten till sociotopkartan som datagrund behövs ytterligare forskning för att göra metoden tillämpbar på andra kommuner. Dessutom kan resultaten användas i multikriterieanalyser av stadsutvecklingsscenarier för att integrera den sociala betydelsen av grönområden och användarperspektiv i planeringspraxis.