No sooner had I posted the blog on how we are losing touch with the natural world, that I had confirmation in a study done on why there are proportionally less people going to National Parks in the US. than there used to be. Seems that the National Parks Service is losing out to… guess what? … the internet.
So stop reading this and go visit a National Park!
I don’t have the information at home with me, but less Australians are visiting National Parks too. There’s some info from the ABS here. I think some other measures of environmental knowledge and concern have also been declining, most worryingly in the younger age categories.
I suppose thre is an upside – less disturbance and pollution of natural sites. The big worry is that the less people use these places, the less they’ll care for them, or about them. Something that brings in money in entrance fees or to the local community is deemed to have value…
Thanks for the link, Emma. The graph showing the drop is quite scary. The US study covered the causes and was quite clear on the reason for the “lack of time” cited in the Australian study – that time was spent on the intrnet!!
Well, WE are going to Denali in Alaska in September, so notch that up as a statistic…
OOOooo, you lucky people, Alma!
I try and make it to a state/national park at least once a week. You are right though Glenda, the real problem is that when those kids grow up, they’ll have no appreciation for nature and as such, less interest in keeping it protected :
We need Widget the World Watcher and Captain Planet back on TV! đŸ™‚
Once a week? Lucky you! Good on you.