Lk. Harris et al., URBAN NEIGHBORS WILDLIFE-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS NEAR FEDERALLY PROTECTED AREAS IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, USA, Natural areas journal, 17(2), 1997, pp. 144-148
Urban development adjacent to protected natural areas may result in re
duced scenic beauty, recreational opportunities, and tourism associate
d with the natural amenities of these areas. Conservation of the biolo
gical, recreational, and scenic resources in parks and preserves requi
res an understanding of the relationships between the protected areas
and their suburban neighbors. This information can be useful to both r
esource managers concerned with protecting wildlife and natural resour
ces and urban planners concerned with maintaining an attractive reside
ntial environment for people. As part of several studies on urban cons
ervation issues being conducted at the University of Arizona, we condu
cted a mail survey of households within 1.6 km (1 mile) of large feder
al landholdings adjacent to Tucson, Arizona (Pusch Ridge Wilderness, m
anaged by the U.S. Forest Service, and Saguaro National Park, managed
by the U.S. National Park Service). Our sample size was 690. Over 80%
of the households completed the survey, providing information about th
eir interests in wildlife resources and about their attitudes and beha
viors relating to the public natural areas adjacent to their homes. Is
sues covered by the survey included interactions with wildlife (57% of
the households fed wild birds and 26% fed other wildlife), importance
of living near protected areas (69% reported ''proximity to protected
areas an important factor in choice of home location''), attitudes to
ward various kinds of development in the neighborhood, and problems ca
used by wildlife at people's homes. These and other findings were anal
yzed in terms of their implications for the managers of protected area
s and for metropolitan planning.