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Botanic gardens can positively influence visitors’ environmental attitudes

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Abstract

Botanic gardens often highlight public education as a priority. Increasing knowledge about biodiversity conservation is a frequently stated aim of environmental education. This is often based on the assumption that increasing knowledge may generate positive environmental attitudes. We investigate the relationship between knowledge and environmental attitudes and whether visits to botanic gardens alter visitors’ ecological knowledge and environmental attitudes. We surveyed 1054 visitors at five UK botanic gardens, half of whom were interviewed on entry and half leaving. Our results suggest a strong positive relationship between knowledge and attitudes, although we are unable to disentangle cause and effect. We show botanic gardens have little influence on knowledge, however environmental attitudes are more positive amongst those leaving a botanic garden. This study presents the first quantitative evidence showing botanic gardens can positively influence visitors’ environmental attitudes. With over 300 million visitors a year globally, botanic gardens have the potential to greatly improve knowledge about, and attitudes towards plant conservation. Evaluating the influence botanic gardens may have on visitors can be useful both in demonstrating to funders the contribution they make, and to allow learning and development of approaches to maximise the benefits of environmental education schemes in botanic gardens.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses, The Eden Project, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh for allowing us to conduct the research in their gardens. This work was support by a Bangor University 125th Anniversary scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan Province, China

    Sophie J. Williams

  2. School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK

    Sophie J. Williams, Julia P. G. Jones & James M. Gibbons

  3. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK

    Sophie J. Williams & Colin Clubbe

Authors
  1. Sophie J. Williams
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  2. Julia P. G. Jones
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  3. James M. Gibbons
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  4. Colin Clubbe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sophie J. Williams.

Additional information

Communicated by Daniel Sanchez Mata.

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Williams, S.J., Jones, J.P.G., Gibbons, J.M. et al. Botanic gardens can positively influence visitors’ environmental attitudes. Biodivers Conserv 24, 1609–1620 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0879-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0879-7

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