Perception of protected areas: Evidence from an italian alpine area

The objective of the study was to investigate perception of Alpine protected areas (APAs), which play a crucial role in protecting local natural, social and economic values. We proposed a research model in which the positive behavioral intention towards APAs was assumed to be affected by environmental awareness, awareness of wildlife, and perception of ecological connectivity and its functions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test causalities. Our findings indicated that environmental awareness is not, per se, the determinant of a positive behavioral intention towards APAs: in fact, some specific and closely interlinked elements, such as awareness of wildlife and perception of ecological connectivity, heavily affected the behavioral intention towards a responsible fruition of APAs. The managerial implications of this work include some considerations: a) perception of protected areas has to be analyzed to bolster a positive behavioral intention towards responsible fruition of protected areas; b) awareness of wildlife and perception of ecological connectivity have a crucial role and could be used to strengthen responsible fruition of protected areas; c) these aspects could act as a lever to attract tourists, investors and other stakeholders. These findings should become the basis to plan effective policies, including communication and marketing activities, aimed at bolstering responsible fruition of protected areas as well as of the Alps as a whole.