Promoting responsible camping: research

6 Appendices

6.1 Methodology

6.1.1 Phase 1

We conducted the literature review using the following criteria:

Objectives

Gathering learnings from behaviour change interventions, that have worked in similar settings, to promote responsible behaviour.

Helping inform the sampling and recruitment approach for primary research with the target audience.

Essential search terms

• “behaviour change”
• “outdoors”
• “camping”
• “behaviour”

Additional search terms

• “outdoors”
• “camping”
• “wild camping”
• “dog walking”
• “littering”
• “vandalism”
• “antisocial”
• “trespassing”
• “intervention”
• “communications”
• “Individual, social, material” (ISM)
• “Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park byelaws”
• “hard to reach”
• “wild camping”
• “outside camping facilities”
• “irresponsible” / “poor” / “bad”
• “Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park byelaws”
• “litter”
• “human waste”
• “abandon camping equipment”
• “lighting fires”
• “chopping down trees” / “damaging trees”
• “obstructive parking”
• “antisocial”
• “noise”
• “party”
• “alcohol”
• “demographics”
• “location”
• “communication channel”
• “social media”
• “hard to reach”

Inclusion criteria:

• Studies or reports published since 2000;
• Any relevant literature that was published earlier, to be considered on an individual basis;
• Studies or reports published in Scotland, the UK or comparable countries (such as Norway, Sweden);
• Available on sites including the following, and in the public domain (i.e. not behind a paywall);
• Google Scholar;
• Government White Papers;
• Universities in England (online publications);
• Major primary research agencies;
• Sector organisations;
• National Portfolio Organisations;
• Think Tanks;
• Studies signposted through: Directory of Open Access Journals, Open Access Button, Unpaywall;
• Formal, robust research (i.e. subject to a clear research process based on scientific principles containing primary data gathered using sound methodologies or robust analyses of secondary data);
• Soft evidence (i.e. primary commentary, anecdotal evidence or interview data).
• Reports identified by NatureScot:
  • People & dogs in the outdoors.
  • Rapid evidence review of littering behaviour and anti-litter policies.

Exclusion criteria:

• Studies or reports published before 2000;
• Studies or reports not published in English language;
• Whilst not to be excluded if learnings could apply to the objectives, the project. as a whole is not focused on:
  • Camping in managed facilities;
  • Camping in vehicles;
  • Camping covered by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park byelaws;
  • Visitor parking more widely (where it is not in association with wild camping);
  • Associated recreational activities (e.g. angling).

We would also like to thank the following organisations for taking part in the research and agreeing to be identified:

• Police Scotland;
• Highland Council;
• East Lothian Council;
• Loch Lomond & the Trossachs NPA;
• Cairngorms NPA;
• Ramblers Scotland;
• Forestry & Land Scotland;
• Zero Waste Scotland;
• Scottish Land & Estates;
• Mountaineering Scotland;
• Perth & Kinross Council;
• City of Edinburgh Council;
• Historic Environment Scotland.

We used the following questions to guide discussions with stakeholders:

Section

Section 1: Introduction

Key discussion points and probes

Interviewer to introduce themselves, BritainThinks and the research.

Thank you very much for taking the time to take part in this research. My name is [XXX] and I’m a researcher from BritainThinks, an independent research agency.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot have commissioned BritainThinks to conduct research to understand the behaviours and motivations of the minority of people who behave irresponsibly when camping in tents outside of managed facilities in Scotland. The aim of the research is to promote more responsible behaviour.

• We’ll be talking for 45 minutes today.
• At the end of the interview, I will ask whether you are happy to have your comments attributed to you personally. There is no obligation to consent to this and we’re very happy to treat the interview as confidential, ensuring that anything you say is reported back to our clients anonymously.
• Collect consent to record the conversation for note-taking purposes and answer any questions about the research
• To begin with, please could you tell me a bit about your role and/or organisation, and what your day-to-day work involves?
• [If appropriate] What geographic area does your role cover?

Interviewer to tailor questions to individual stakeholder – focusing on the most relevant sections.

Time

5

(5)

Section

Section 2: General experiences with wild camping

Key discussion points and probes

It would be helpful to understand your professional experiences with people camping in tents outside of managed facilities.

From here onward, moderator to reflect the term(s) used by the interviewee to describe people camping in tents outside of managed facilities (e.g. ‘wild camping’, ‘dirty camping’ (where appropriate).

• What experience, if any, have you had with people camping in tents outside of managed facilities in Scotland?
• Do you encounter them directly or indirectly? How often?
• How, if at all, have your experiences of wild campers changed over time?
• What kinds of people camping in tents outside of managed facilities do you typically encounter?
• Probe on demographics, typical behaviour, popular locations
• Are there any other groups of people you often see camping in tents outside of managed facilities?
• What, if anything, do you think appeals to them about camping in tents outside of managed facilities? Why?

Time

5

(10)

Section

Section 3: Irresponsible behaviour

Key discussion points and probes

For this research, we’re keen to understand people who behave irresponsibly when camping in tents outside of managed facilities.

• To what extent do you feel that irresponsible behaviour amongst people camping in tents outside of managed facilities is a problem? Why?

Interviewer to read out:

Irresponsible behaviour can include leaving litter, human waste and camping equipment behind, lighting fires, chopping down / damaging trees, as well as antisocial gatherings and noise.

• What experience have you had with people camping in tents outside of managed facilities in Scotland who have behaved irresponsibly or illegally? Can you describe this in detail?
  • Who was involved? What happened? What was the result/response?
• What types of people behave irresponsibly or illegally when camping in tents outside of managed facilities?
  • What are the similarities or differences among these people?
  • Is it just one type of person or are there different groups?
  • How does this compare to the type of person that behaves responsibly?
  • Probe on: age, gender, where they come from, SEG
• Why do you think these people behave irresponsibly or illegally when camping in tents outside of managed facilities?
  • Why do you think they go camping in the first place?
  • What do you think causes them to break the rules?
  • How, if at all, has this changed over time? Why?

Time

10

(20)

Section

Section 4: Promoting responsible behaviour

Key discussion points and probes

• What barriers, if any, prevent these people from camping in tents outside of managed facilities responsibly? Probe on:
  • Awareness of their own behaviour
  • Knowledge of the rules
  • Peer influence
  • Infrastructure, e.g. lack of facilities
• How do you think these people can be encouraged to behave more responsibly when camping in tents outside of managed facilities in Scotland? Why?
  • What motivates other people camping in tents outside of managed facilities to behave responsibly?
  • What, if anything, have you done, or seen others do, to encourage responsible behaviour amongst people camping in tents outside of managed facilities?
  • To what extent did this help?
  • How would this work in practice?
  • Are there any wider implications or unintended consequences that this could have? How do you think people camping responsibly would react?
• What, if anything, have you done, or seen others do, to encourage responsible camping behaviour among these visitors?
  • To what extent did this help?
  • If no examples: What, if anything, have you done, or seen others do, to encourage responsible behaviour more generally (amongst outdoors visitors)?

Time

10

(30)

Section

Section 5: Reaching and communicating with target audience

Key discussion points and probes

A key aim of the research is to understand how to better communicate with those who behave irresponsibly when camping in tents outside of managed facilities.

• What channels or spokespeople do you think would best reach this audience?
  • To what extent do you think that these kinds of campers are ‘hard to reach’? Interviewer to refer back to previous answers about what kind of campers they think behave irresponsibly
  • Why? How can that be overcome?
• What kind of communication or messages do you think would resonate best with this audience?
  • E.g. should it be educational, motivational, admonitory?
  • How might this vary for different groups of people?
• Do you have any examples of campaigns or communications that have worked well for:
  • Reaching this audience?
  • Changing behaviour?

Time

10

(40)

Section

Section 6: Wrap up

Key discussion points and probes

Thank you so much for your time today, it’s been very helpful speaking to you. Before we end the interview today, I wanted to run a couple of things past you:

• This interview is part of a broader research project. Do you have any recommendations for:
  • Other people working in this area or with direct experience of irresponsible camping behaviour that we should speak to?
  • Written reports or literature on similar topics, such as wild or ‘dirty’ camping, responsible behaviour in the countryside, or behaviour change in outdoor settings that we should consult?
• Reflecting on our discussion, would you be happy to have your comments attributed to you personally or would you prefer for them to be reported back anonymously?
• Would you be happy to be re-contacted to take part in further phases of this research and to share with you a summary of the research findings?
• [Collect details for charitable donation only if applicable]
• Thank and close

Time

5

(45)

6.1.2 Phase 2

The sample for the Phase 2 interviews sought to include a spread of demographics, though we also partly let these fall out naturally because the priority was to recruit wild campers who had behaved irresponsibly.

Demographic spread of sample:

Demographic	Number of participants
Aged 18-24	11
Aged 25-40	7
Aged 41+	2
Male	13
Female	7
Scotland	12
England	6
Wales	2

We used the following questions to guide discussions with campers:

Section

Section 1: Introduction

Key discussion points and probes

Interviewer to introduce themselves, BritainThinks and the research.

Thank you very much for taking the time to take part in this research. My name is [XXX] and I’m a researcher from BritainThinks, an independent research agency. We conduct research on a range of topics, from understanding people’s experiences of different products or services, how they feel about certain companies or organisations, or what they think about specific issues. This involves speaking to lots of different groups of people all round the UK and listening to what they have to say.

The purpose of the interview today is to understand people’s experiences of camping in Scotland outside of managed facilities like campsites.

For the rest of the interview, moderator to reflect back language used by participants, e.g. ‘wild camping’.

Explain the terms of the session:

• We’re an independent research agency so I’m here to listen to your honest views and opinions; there are no right or wrong answers.
• We abide by the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. This means that everything you say today will be completely confidential and the research findings will be anonymised: you won’t be personally identifiable in our report.
• BritainThinks will hold your contact information for up to 12 months for quality monitoring purposes only and will not pass on any personal data to any third party.
• The only exception to this is if you say something that gives me reason to think that you or someone else is at risk of harm. In the unlikely event that this happens, we may be legally obliged to pass this information on to the relevant authority.
• You can opt out of the research at any time, although you may forfeit your right to any incentive.
• We’ll be talking for 60 minutes today, finishing up at [XXX]. I have a lot of questions to get through, so in order to finish on time, I may need to interrupt you or move the conversation on.

Collect consent to record the conversation for note-taking purposes and answer any questions about the research

To begin with, please could you introduce yourself:

• Your first name(s)
• Where you live, and who you live with
• Something you like to do in your spare time

Time

5

(5)

Section

Section 2: Your feelings about the outdoors

Key discussion points and probes

When you talked about what you do in your spare time, you [DID/DIDN’T] mention spending time in the outdoors.

• How, if at all, does visiting the outdoors feature in your life?
  • How often do you visit the outdoors?
  • Where do you go when you visit the outdoors?
  • What do you like to do when you go to the outdoors?
• How, if at all, has this changed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic?
• What benefits, if any, does spending time outdoors bring?
• What, if anything, do you dislike about spending time outdoors?

You [HAVE/HAVEN’T] mentioned camping. Can you tell me about your experiences of camping?

• How often have you been?
• Where did you go?
• Why did you go?
• How has this changed since Covid-19?

Time

5

(10)

Section

Section 3: Perspectives on camping in tents outside of managed facilities

Key discussion points and probes

We understand that you’ve been camping in Scotland in the last two years. We’re really interested in hearing about your experience camping in a tent outside of a managed facility such as a campsite.

· Can you tell me a bit about what your experience of camping outside of a managed facility was like?

o If participant says they have been camping for a while/a long time: When did you first start going camping outside of a managed facility?

· What did you do?

· Where did you go?

· Who did you go with?

· What was good about your experience?

· What was bad about your experience? Did anything surprise you about your experience? Listen out for and probe on any learnings, e.g. from interactions with rangers or other campers

· What inspired you to go camping outside of a managed facility? Probe on any specific influencers/creators, channels or TV programmes.

· Can you talk me through how and when you planned your trip?

Encourage regular campers to focus on trips in the last 2 years.

o How did you decide where to go?

Interviewer to listen out for mentions of camping equipment and associated costs

o How did you decide what to bring?

o Did you do any research beforehand?

o What information sources did you use?

o Is there any information you would have liked to know but were not able to find?

Time

15

(25)

Section

Section 5: Understanding of responsible vs. irresponsible behaviour

Key discussion points and probes

• Some people talk about responsible and irresponsible camping. Have you heard of this term before?
  • What do you think it means to camp “responsibly”?
  • What behaviour do you think makes someone a “responsible” camper?
  • What do you think it means to camp “irresponsibly”?
  • What behaviour do you think makes someone an “irresponsible” camper?
• Did you see anyone camping irresponsibly when you went camping?
• What did you see? What were the signs that they were camping irresponsibly?
• Why do you think people camp irresponsibly?
• What rules, if any, are you aware of when it comes to camping outside managed facilities in Scotland?

Moderator to probe on understanding of any rules described.

I’m now going to read out part of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which provides guidelines on how to act responsibly when camping outside managed facilities.

Moderator to show on screen if interview is being conducted online.

There is a general right of access to all land and inland water in Scotland (with a few exceptions). Where access is allowed, people must behave in a responsible manner. The three key principles of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code are:

• Respect the interests of other people
• Care for the environment
• Take responsibility for your own actions

Access rights extend to wild camping. This type of camping is lightweight, done in small numbers and only for two or three nights in any one place. Guidance includes:

• Be considerate
  • Keep groups small, quiet and well away from buildings and roads.
  • If it’s busy, go elsewhere.
  • Do not camp in enclosed fields of crops or farm animals.
• Leave no trace
  • Take away all your belongings and litter.
  • Vegetation is damaged by repeated camping on the same spot over a number of nights or by different campers over time; aim to move frequently and seek out your own remote spots.
  • Use a camping stove where possible
  • Never light open fires, BBQs or fire bowls during dry periods, or near forests, farmland, buildings or historic sites at any time.
  • Never cut down or damage trees
  • Even dead wood is an important habitat, so it is best to avoid fires completely.
  • Use public toilets where available
  • If not, go at least 30 metres from open water – carry a trowel and bury your poo.
• Parking
  • If public or private landowners restrict or regulate parking on their land, you must comply with this.
  • Don’t cause any damage or create an obstruction, for example by blocking entrances or making it difficult for other people to use a road or track.
  • Have regard for the safety of others.
  • Try not to damage the verge.
  • Use a car park if one is nearby.
• How do you feel about this guidance?
• Were you aware of it before today?
• What impact, if any, do these rules have on the way you go camping?
• Why do you think some people do not comply with this guidance?

To what extent do you think these reasons differ according to the type of action?

Probe on:

• Camping in appropriate locations
• Damage from campfires
• Pollution through toileting
• Leaving behind equipment, litter and waste

Time

15

(40)

Section

Section 6: Barriers and opportunities

Key discussion points and probes

This research has been commissioned by NatureScot and the Scottish Government. NatureScot and the Scottish Government want everyone to enjoy the Scottish outdoors and make the most of their access rights, but they also want people to act responsibly following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. We’re really interested in your views as campers on how they can best do this.

• What, if anything, could encourage people to camp responsibly? Add if necessary: By responsible we mean abiding by the guidance in the Scottish outdoor access code (show on screen again if helpful)
• What, if anything could encourage people to…? If appropriate, interviewer to tailor questions to the irresponsible behaviours that participants exhibited
  • Camp in appropriate / considerate locations
  • Avoid damage from campfires
  • Limit pollution through toileting
  • Leave no trace by taking away all equipment, litter and waste
• What impact, if any, do you think that each of the following would have on encouraging people to camp responsibly?
  • Raising awareness of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and how to camp responsibly
  • Raising awareness of the negative impact that irresponsible behaviour can have
  • Criticism from fellow campers or peers when people behave irresponsibly
  • More infrastructure, such as bins or toilets, for campers to use
  • Rules or restrictions on when and where you can camp
  • Higher costs for camping equipment
• How can NatureScot and the Scottish Government best communicate with someone like you about camping responsibly?
  • What advice or information, if any, would you like to hear from them?
• When do you think would be useful to have this information? Probe on:
  • When planning the trip (e.g. buying equipment)
  • Travelling to or in the vicinity of the destination (e.g. petrol stations, cafes, pubs)
  • On arrival (e.g. signs on roadside, car parks)
• How should this information be communicated?
  • Online – social media? Websites? (Probes on specific sites / groups)
  • In person, e.g. via rangers, in school/college/universities
  • Signage / posters
• Who would you trust to tell you information about responsible camping?
  • Peers (friends, family, social media contacts)
  • Professionals, e.g. rangers
  • Celebrities / social media influencers (Probe on specific individuals)

Time

15

(55)

Section

Section 7: Wrap up

Key discussion points and probes

Thank you so much for your time today, it’s been very helpful speaking to you. Before we end the interview today.

What one piece of advice would you give to NatureScot and the Scottish Government for promoting responsible camping in Scotland?

Time

5

(60)

6.2 Bibliography

The following sources were consulted as part of the literature review and fed into the final report, although not all have been cited:

• Auckland Council (2017) Managing freedom camping in Auckland.
• Barr, S. et al (2011) Sustainable lifestyles: Sites, Practices, and Policy, Environment and Planning A, 43, 3011-329.
• Bator, R. J., Bryan, A. D. and Schultz, P. W. (2011) Who gives a hoot? Intercept surveys of litterers and disposers. Environment and Behaviour, 43:3, 295-315.
• Cairngorms National Park Authority (2021) Managing for visitors in 2021.
• Collins, D., Kearns, R., Bates, L. and Serjeant, E. (2018) Police power and fettered freedom: regulating coastal freedom camping in New Zealand. Social & Cultural Geography, 19:7, 894-913.
• Geller, E. S. (2002) The Challenge of Increasing Proenvironmental Behavior, in Betchel, R.B., Churchman, A. (eds.) Handbook of Environmental Psychology, New York, 525–540.
• Jenkinson, S. (2011) People & dogs in the outdoors. Cairngorms National Park Authority.
• Keep Britain Tidy (2011) The effectiveness of enforcement on behaviour change: Fixed penalty notices from both sides of the line.
• Kim, A. K. (2012) Determinants of tourist behaviour in coastal protection. Tourism Geographies, 14:1, 26-49.
• Kolodko, J. and Read, D. (2018) Using behavioural science to reduce littering: understanding, addressing and solving the problem of litter. Journal of Litter and Environmental Quality, 2:1, 20-35.
• Land Reform Review Group (2014) The land of Scotland and the common good: report.
• [Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park] (2020) Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park camping management byelaws 2017 three year report to ministers.
• Natural England (2022) Applying behavioural insights to improve the messaging around the new Countryside Code.
• Progressive (2019) Evaluation of visitor experiences of camping in the [Loch Lomond & the Trossachs] national park.
• Marion, J. L. and Reid S. E. (2009) Minimising visitor impacts to protected areas: The efficacy of low impact education programmes. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 15:1, 5-27.
• Marion, J., Wimpey, J., Arrendondo, J. and Meaddema, F. (2020) Sustainable Camping “best management practices”. US Geological Survey, Virginia Tech Field Unit.
• Marzano, M. and Dandy, N. (2012) Recreationist behaviour in forests and the disturbance of wildlife. Biodiversity and Conservation 21, 2967-2986.
• Moghimehfar, F. (2016) Predicting pro-environmental behavioural intentions of front-country campers. PhD. University of Alberta.
• New South Wales Government (2005) Human waste management strategy: Main range management unit – Kosciuszko National Park. Department of Environment and Conservation, Sydney (New South Wales, Australia).
• Scottish Government (2013) Influencing behaviours - moving beyond the individual: ISM user guide.
• Scottish Government (Accessed April 2022) Visits to the Outdoors.
• Scottish Natural Heritage (2004) Towards responsible use: influencing recreational behaviour in the countryside.
• Scottish Natural Heritage, Sport Scotland (2004) Communication not conflict: using communication to encourage considerate shared recreational use of the outdoors.
• Scottish Natural Heritage (2015) Taking the lead: Managing access with dogs to reduce impacts on land management.
• Scottish Natural Heritage (2006) Signs guidance for farmers and other land managers: Using advisory signs to inform the public about your day-to-day land management operations.
• Scottish Outdoor Access Code (2005) Public access to Scotland’s outdoors: Your rights and responsibilities.
• Scottish Outdoor Access Code (2021) Guidance – Managing camping with tents in Scotland.
• Scottish Outdoor Access Code (2022) Camping.
• Settina, N., Marion, J. L. and Schwartz, F. (2020) Leave No Trace Communication: Effectiveness based on assessments of resource conditions. Journal of Interpretation Research, 25:1, 5-25.
• Sibley, C. G. and Liu, J. H. (2003) Differentiating active and passive littering: a two-stage process model of littering behaviour in public spaces. Environment and Behaviour 35:3, 415-433.
• Southerton, D., McMeekin, A. and Evans, D. (2011) International review of behaviour change initiatives: Climate change behaviours research programme. The Scottish Government.
• Visit Scotland (2019) Insight Department: Unique Scotland: Promoting the benefits of a holiday in Scotland.
• Visit Scotland (2021) A visitor management strategy for Scotland.
• Visit Scotland (Accessed April 2022) Wild Camping in Scotland.
• Zero Waste Scotland (2013) Rapid evidence review of littering behaviour and anti-litter policies.