Biodiverse Anthropocenes Presents: Special Guest Seminar

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Dr. Richard S. Aquino is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Management, Marketing and Tourism, University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. His research explores how social entrepreneurship can make tourism an equitable and sustainable form of livelihood for local communities. Advocating for sustainable consumption in tourism, he also examines the environmentally responsible behaviours of tourists. His other research interests include community development, geotourism and geopark development, and critical tourism studies.

Understanding Tourist-Kea (Nestor notabilis) Interactions: Implications for Behaviour Change Interventions.

Abstract: Interactions with wildlife play a significant role in nature-based tourism. In Aotearoa New Zealand, tourists can encounter and interact with endemic bird species in natural areas. Most often, these species are nationally endangered and subjected to problematic practices (e.g., feeding, touching, etc.). Grounded on the values-beliefs-norms (VBN) theory and the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation and Behavior (COM-B) model, this study explores the drivers of tourists’ (ir)responsible behaviors with kea (Nestor notabilis) – a nationally endangered bird in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research adopted a mixed-methods design composed of two phases. The qualitative phase (Study 1) involved interviews with 36 tourists (international and domestic) with different wildlife value orientations, revealing predominantly responsible tourist behaviors around Kea. Building on the findings from the interviews, a survey (Study 2) was deployed to a sample of 1,638 tourists to determine segments that vary by their VBN and COM-B. Interventions to motivate responsible tourist practices around kea are proposed based on the findings.