Ma Anson T H, Lam Theresa W L, Cheung Lewis T O, Fok Lincoln
Department of Geography and Resources Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Landsc Urban Plan. 2021 Mar;207:103994. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103994. Epub 2020 Nov 17.
As COVID-19 has swept across the world, governments have been prompted to order social distancing measures, from the closure of schools, restaurants and public facilities to quarantines and lockdowns. Access to and contact with nature have been suggested to help combat impacts associated with isolation measures, and a coincidental surge in the number of visitors to country parks in Hong Kong has recently been observed. The current study sought to explore the visitation of country parks as an adaptation to COVID-19 by employing the socio-psychological model of precautionary adaptation (SPMPA). Questionnaire surveys were administered in 12 country parks in Hong Kong, and a total of 600 samples were collected. A conceptual model based on the SPMPA was proposed and tested through multiple regression analysis. Significant associations between perceived severity, threat experience and adaptative behaviour were found, suggesting the possible risks of visiting country parks. However, the relationships among perceived adaptation efficacy, adaptation cost and reliance on public adaptation implied that the adaptative benefits of visiting country parks may outweigh the risks when proper visitor management measures are implemented. The findings highlighted the importance of providing accessible protected areas or other types of nature-based spaces to facilitate the adaptation of people to disease outbreaks in both the short and long run.
随着新冠疫情席卷全球，各国政府纷纷出台社交距离措施，从关闭学校、餐厅和公共设施到实施隔离和封锁。人们认为接触自然有助于应对与隔离措施相关的影响，最近香港郊野公园的游客数量也随之激增。本研究旨在运用预防性适应的社会心理模型（SPMPA），探讨郊野公园的游客到访情况作为对新冠疫情的一种适应方式。在香港的12个郊野公园进行了问卷调查，共收集了600个样本。提出了一个基于SPMPA的概念模型，并通过多元回归分析进行了检验。研究发现，感知严重性、威胁经历与适应行为之间存在显著关联，这表明前往郊野公园可能存在风险。然而，感知适应效能、适应成本与对公共适应的依赖之间的关系表明，在实施适当的游客管理措施时，前往郊野公园的适应益处可能超过风险。研究结果强调了提供可及的保护区或其他类型的自然空间的重要性，以便在短期和长期内促进人们对疾病爆发的适应。
