caa a22 4500 60552677X CHVBK 20210128100805.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150701xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-015-0879-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-015-0879-7 Botanic gardens can positively influence visitors' environmental attitudes [Elektronische Daten] [Sophie Williams, Julia Jones, James Gibbons, Colin Clubbe] Botanic gardens often highlight public education as a priority. Increasing knowledge about biodiversity conservation is a frequently stated aim of environmental education. This is often based on the assumption that increasing knowledge may generate positive environmental attitudes. We investigate the relationship between knowledge and environmental attitudes and whether visits to botanic gardens alter visitors' ecological knowledge and environmental attitudes. We surveyed 1054 visitors at five UK botanic gardens, half of whom were interviewed on entry and half leaving. Our results suggest a strong positive relationship between knowledge and attitudes, although we are unable to disentangle cause and effect. We show botanic gardens have little influence on knowledge, however environmental attitudes are more positive amongst those leaving a botanic garden. This study presents the first quantitative evidence showing botanic gardens can positively influence visitors' environmental attitudes. With over 300 million visitors a year globally, botanic gardens have the potential to greatly improve knowledge about, and attitudes towards plant conservation. Evaluating the influence botanic gardens may have on visitors can be useful both in demonstrating to funders the contribution they make, and to allow learning and development of approaches to maximise the benefits of environmental education schemes in botanic gardens. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2015 Environmental education nationallicence New ecological paradigm nationallicence Ecological knowledge nationallicence GSPC nationallicence Conservation nationallicence Williams Sophie Center of Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 666303, Mengla, Yunnan Province, China aut Jones Julia School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, LL57 2UW, Gwynedd, UK aut Gibbons James School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, LL57 2UW, Gwynedd, UK aut Clubbe Colin The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AB, Surrey, UK aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/7(2015-07-01), 1609-1620 0960-3115 24:7<1609 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0879-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0879-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Williams Sophie Center of Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 666303, Mengla, Yunnan Province, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jones Julia School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, LL57 2UW, Gwynedd, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gibbons James School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, LL57 2UW, Gwynedd, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Clubbe Colin The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AB, Surrey, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/7(2015-07-01), 1609-1620 0960-3115 24:7<1609 2015 24 10531