Biosecurity hygiene in the Australian high country: footwear cleaning practices, motivations, and barriers among visitors to Kosciuszko National park

Gill, Nicholas J; McKiernan, Shaun; Lewis, Anna; Cherry, H.; Annunciato, Drauzio

doi:10.1080/14486563.2020.1838352

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…ATTITUDE TOWARD BEHAVIOUR was influential in predicting visitors' willingness to take actions, and elsewhere this has proven to be a significant predictor of behavioural intentions to engage in pro-environmental behaviours (e.g., Brown et al 2010, Untaru et al 2014, Miller et al 2015. Gill et al (2020) found that visitor doubts as to the efficacy of cleaning to be a major obstacle to compliance with weed hygiene practices in Australia's Kosciuszko National Park. Thus, messaging emphasizing the effectiveness and importance of biosecurity protocols in preventing pathogen spread may cultivate favourable attitudes among visitors regarding their implementation and the protection of amphibians.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the TPB, three types of cognitive structures determine individuals' behavioural intentions: (1) their evaluation (favourable or unfavourable) of the behaviour under consideration (ATTITUDE TOWARD BEHAVIOUR) (2) their perceptions of social standards regarding the behaviour (SOCIAL NORMS); and (3) the perceived difficulty of performing the behaviour (PERCEIVED BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL; Ajzen 1985). The TPB has been used widely in studies to predict and explain the willingness of tourists and natural area visitors to engage in pro-environmental behaviours (e.g., Howe et al 2011, Untaru et al 2014, Miller et al 2015, Gill et al 2020) and to develop persuasive messaging to influence their behaviour (e.g., Brown et al 2010). Survey questions related to respondents' ATTITUDE TOWARD BEHAVIOUR, SOCIAL NORMS and PERCEIVED BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL were rated on a five-point Likert scale of agreement (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree) using various statements that represented the corresponding constructs (Table 1).…”

Section: Measurement Of Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to meet Objective 2 of this study, an ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple linear regression model was estimated using the variables ATTITUDE TOWARD BEHAVIOUR, SOCIAL NORMS, PERCEIVED BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL (e.g., Martin & McCurdy 2009, Brown et al 2010, Wang et al 2018, TRUST, THREAT (Episcopio-Sturgeon & Pienaar 2020, Pienaar et al 2022) and ENVIRONMENTAL (Gill et al 2020), which, based on the literature, we predicted would be significantly positively associated with willingness to take action (WILLING). We had no a priori expectations regarding the direction or significance of the remaining explanatory variables (RECREATION, LEARN, FEMALE, INCOME and HOUSEHOLD).…”

Section: Regression Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Past studies have examined factors influencing natural area visitors' behavioural intentions to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours (e.g., Brown et al 2010, Kil et al 2014, Gill et al 2020. Using social-psychological models such as the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), these studies have generally sought to identify antecedents to environmentally responsible behaviours by examining individuals' attitudes, values, beliefs and perceived norms related to the conservation issue and behaviour(s) in question.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Natural area visitors’ potential role in preventing pathogen threats to amphibian biodiversity

et al. 2023

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Summary The anthropogenic spread of disease from captive to wild amphibian populations (referred to as spillover) is linked to global amphibian declines. Disinfecting procedures and protocols exist to mitigate pathogen transmission to and within natural areas, but understanding of visitor attitudes and behaviour regarding their adoption is limited. We surveyed visitors in two natural areas in a global amphibian biodiversity hotspot to assess their attitudes regarding pathogen spread in such areas and analysed the factors influencing their behavioural intentions to take specific actions to prevent pathogen spillover. Visitors’ willingness to take action was influenced by their attitudes, behavioural control and trust in wildlife/land managers, whereas socio-demographic characteristics were less influential. These findings help us to understand visitor behaviour with respect to amphibian biosecurity in natural areas and inform enhanced biosecurity measures and strategic messaging to reduce pathogen spillover.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Measurement Of Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Regression Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Natural area visitors’ potential role in preventing pathogen threats to amphibian biodiversity

et al. 2023

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“…simple but emphatic signage 53 , and continual monitoring of usage and improvement of design 52 . Barriers to cleaning can include perceived difficulties in using equipment and the time required if there are many hikers involved 54 , and lack of awareness about the value in using hygiene measures 26 . For maximal compliance it is also important to devise procedures that are practical for hikers to perform.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The efficacy of a range of hygiene measures for boot cleaning to protect natural vegetation from Phytophthora cinnamomi

Liew

Phelan

McDougall

2023

Sci Rep

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Phytophthora cinnamomi is an oomycete found in the soil and capable of invading the roots of a wide range of host plants globally, potentially killing them and affecting the ecosystems they inhabit. This pathogen is often inadvertently dispersed in natural vegetation on the footwear of humans. A range of equipment is often provided or recommended to be carried for cleaning footwear in places where P. cinnamomi poses a threat to biodiversity. These are typically a brush for mechanically removing soil and/or a disinfectant for killing the pathogen. Despite their widespread use, to our knowledge, the majority of hygiene measures have not been experimentally tested for their efficacy. In the current study, we tested whether two types of brush and the two most widely used disinfectants (70% methylated spirits and benzalkonium chloride) were effective in removing the pathogen from boots. We tested the brushes and disinfectants in two soil types and two moisture levels. All hygiene measures were found to be better than doing nothing, although some were only effective with sandy or dry soils. Benzalkonium chloride was largely ineffective as a spray but highly effective when used in a footbath. Brushing did not improve cleaning when used with 70% methylated spirits. None of the hygiene measures was completely effective for cleaning boots that had been in wet loamy soil. Our findings have important implications for management of this threat because some recommended hygiene practices are not doing what they claim.

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Assessing the impacts of land use and climate change on the distribution patterns of Ulex europaeus L. (Fabaceae) in the Canary Islands

Da Re,

Tordoni,

Naranjo-Cigala

et al. 2024

Biol Invasions

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Biological invasions are one of the major threats to biodiversity, but their impact is particularly detrimental on oceanic islands like the Canary Archipelago. The common gorse (Ulex europaeus L. (Fabaceae)) is a highly invasive shrub with established populations in Tenerife, the sole island of the archipelago where it is present. Understanding the habitat preferences of U. europaeus is essential for predicting its current and potential future distribution across Tenerife and other Canary Islands, guiding effective local management practices. In 2019 and 2020, we surveyed different populations of U. europaeus in Tenerife, retrieving information on its abundance, presence of other invasive species and most frequent natural and anthropogenic characteristics of the landscape. We used this information to build explanatory and predictive models to identify the key natural and anthropogenic drivers of U. europaeus abundance in Tenerife and estimate the potential distribution of the species across the whole archipelago under current and future climatic conditions. Our findings showed that U. europaeus thrives in humid areas impacted by human activities where other invasive species persist. Both current and future climatic conditions do not support the presence of the species in the more arid islands of the archipelago (i.e., Fuerteventura and Lanzarote), rather highlight that the windwards, and thus more humid, areas of the other islands might support the species also under future warmer climatic scenarios. These findings deepen our understanding of U. europaeus local dynamics and are crucial to inform targeted management strategies to mitigate its impact across the Canary Archipelago and, ultimately, oceanic islands.

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Biosecurity hygiene in the Australian high country: footwear cleaning practices, motivations, and barriers among visitors to Kosciuszko National park

Cited by 10 publications

References 57 publications

Natural area visitors’ potential role in preventing pathogen threats to amphibian biodiversity

Natural area visitors’ potential role in preventing pathogen threats to amphibian biodiversity

The efficacy of a range of hygiene measures for boot cleaning to protect natural vegetation from Phytophthora cinnamomi

Assessing the impacts of land use and climate change on the distribution patterns of Ulex europaeus L. (Fabaceae) in the Canary Islands

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