We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Does Place Attachment Predict Wildfire Mitigation and Preparedness? A Comparison of Wildland-Urban Interface and Rural Communities.
- Authors
Anton, Charis; Lawrence, Carmen
- Abstract
Wildfires are a common occurrence in many countries and are predicted to increase as we experience the effects of climate change. As more people are expected to be affected by fires, it is important to increase people's wildfire mitigation and preparation. Place attachment has been theorized to be related to mitigation and preparation. The present study examined place attachment and wildfire mitigation and preparation in two Australian samples, one rural and one on the wildland-urban interface. The study consisted of 300 participants who responded to questionnaires about their place attachment to their homes and local areas, as well as describing their socio-demographic characteristics and wildfire mitigation and preparedness. Hierarchical regression showed that place attachment to homes predicted wildfire mitigation and preparedness in the rural sample but not in the wildland-urban interface sample. The results suggest that place attachment is a motivator for mitigation and preparation only for people living rurally. Reminding rural residents of their attachment to home at the beginning of wildfire season may result in greater mitigation and preparedness. Further research focusing on why attachment does not predict mitigation and preparedness in the wildland-urban interface is needed.
- Subjects
WILDFIRE forecasting; PREPAREDNESS; CLIMATE change; WILDLAND-urban interface; PLACE attachment (Psychology); QUESTIONNAIRES
- Publication
Environmental Management, 2016, Vol 57, Issue 1, p148
- ISSN
0364-152X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00267-015-0597-7