THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SELF-GUIDED INTERPRETIVE TRAILS IN PROTECTED AREAS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION OF VISITORS

Abstract

The aim of this article is to identify the level of environmental knowledge of visitors to interpretive trails. Specifically, this research investigates the factors that influence potential differences in the environmental knowledge of visitors to interpretive trails and to the surrounding protected areas. Only some visitors to protected areas also visit interpretive trails. They tend to be more environmentally conscious and have higher levels of environmental knowledge than all visitors to protected areas. It should be noted that visitors who have more environmental knowledge are also those who have the greatest interest in the surrounding environment. It, therefore, follows that interpretive trails are visited by those with an interest in them, not by visitors to protected areas as a whole. Secondly, visiting interpretive trails contributes to visitors’ knowledge, but this potential contribution has no effect on visitors who lack prior knowledge and are the intended targets of environmental-awareness education on the trails. Based on the number of environmentally conscious visitors, interpretive trails, in their present condition, do not make any significant contributions to environmentally friendly tourism in protected areas.