How much does culture influence how people view natural resources?

Depending on the natural resource being investigated, Johnson, who is based in Athens, GA, says that many variations exist among racial and ethnic groups when it comes to perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about forests and recreation. Perceptions vary significantly among African-Americans, Asians, and Latinos about wildland visitation. Also for immigrants, attitudes often depend on how long the person has been in this country.

How has the legacy of blacks in the South influenced their preferences?

Some research shows African- American environmental engagement to be distinct from other race and ethnic groups. African-Americans don’t hike and camp a lot in the rural South. They don’t usually go to wildland areas on publicly owned land. “In past decades, murders and other heinous acts were perpetuated against blacks in the woods. In some cases, these ‘vicarious memories’ are passed on to African-Americans as ‘this is what happens if you’re alone in the woods,’ ” Johnson explains.

Johnson also notes that blacks tend to go fishing frequently, especially in the South, where there is a higher incidence of black ownership of land than in other regions of the country. “With the agrarian/rural culture, fishing is an integral part of southern culture,” Johnson explains. “It provides a means of contributing to the household livelihood—both culturally and for subsistence. It’s hard to distinguish between the two.”

Recent data from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment indicates there are slightly higher percentages of African- Americans participating in outdoor recreation activities other than fishing than in the past. Percentages are on the rise, too, for other nonwhite groups’ engagement in typical North American outdoor activities, especially among Asians and Latinos.

How do cultural values about family influence the use of natural resources?

Johnson says African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians draw from collective culture, in which family members and extended family gather frequently in large groups. A wildland environment is not always conducive to these types of activities. For some groups, including African-Americans, the outdoors is more of a backdrop, a setting—chatter and camaraderie may be as important as interacting with the natural resource. Johnson thinks public land managers in the South would do well to realize the importance of providing facilities for large groups to gather.

What do land managers need to know about culturally based preferences?

Johnson thinks it’s important for people who manage public lands for recreation in the South to pay attention to changing demographics. Managers need to ask questions about what people want, and what they as managers could do to accommodate them. Latinos, now a significant presence in the South, are drawing more attention to their needs. With the large growth in the Latino population, it will become necessary for land managers to take notice. If managers don’t place appropriate emphasis on the preferences of minorities, support for natural resource agendas in the South could decline.

“As a region, the South hasn’t had the experience of minorityled grassroots recreation and environmental groups knocking on the doors of public land managers. More progress has been made in the Pacific region and the Southwest to design facilities conducive to minority recreation styles,” says Johnson. “Land managers need to understand the changes in diversity. Groups relatively new to some parts of the South, such as Latinos, may not identify with the negative history that African-Americans associate with being in the woods. They don’t feel the weight of ‘These people don’t look like me’ or ‘What are they doing in my space?’ ”

Can cultural values be a source of conflict among groups sharing natural resources?

Recreation visitors come to public lands during their leisure time, and conflicts can become personal. How can managers deal with these challenges? “When people are on public recreation lands, to some extent normative culture follows; oftentimes, people’s culture is acted out on public lands,” Johnson says. “Riparian areas are a big attraction for Latino groups. Some celebrate allday worship services, enjoy picnics where they play music and have large meals. Traditional users in the South are not used to this—they have strong ideas about how the public areas ought to be used, especially areas they consider their own.”

How are land managers going to deal with conflicts?

Johnson believes land managers need to pay more attention to the activity preferences of all visitors. “Go talk to users to find out what they want,” she recommends. “Managers need to understand what would make an optimal recreation experience for different groups, then where practical, make site-specific recommendations based on their understanding of the visitor base, keeping in mind agency mission and purpose.”

For more information:

Cassandra Johnson at 706–559–4270 or cjohnson09@fs.fed.us

Recommended reading:

Johnson, C.Y.; Bowker, J.; Green, G.; Cordell, H.K. 2007. “Provide it... but will they come?”: a look at African American and Hispanic visits to Federal recreation areas. Journal of Forestry. 105 (5): 257–265.

Johnson, C.Y.; Bowker, J.M. 2004. African-American wildland memories. Environmental Ethics. 26: 57–68.

Johnson, C.Y.; Zipperer, W.C. 2007. Culture, place, and urban growth in the U.S. South. Urban Ecosystems. 10: 459–474.