Future Direction of Outdoor Pursuits in WA - Australian Sports ...

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2. Outdoor Pursuits: An Overview Definition For the purpose of this report, outdoor pursuits are defined as outdoor recreation activities utilising the natural environment that contain elements of real or apparent danger, in which the outcome can be influenced by the participant and circumstance. 14 Examples of outdoor pursuits include: abseiling, caving, canoeing, rafting, rock climbing, ropes courses and sea kayaking, to name a few. What characterises outdoor pursuits? Outdoor pursuits afford participants the opportunity to experience the excitement and personal involvement in an outdoor setting which is often lacking in our traditional recreational or educational systems. Outdoor pursuits may be sought in terms of structured experiences, such as formal classes and programs, or non-structured experiences - activities done on an individual basis with family and/or friends whenever one chooses. Regardless, there are numerous potential benefits of engaging in outdoor pursuits activities (Table 1 15 .) Table 1 Potential Benefits of Outdoor Pursuits Activities Psychological Sociological Educational Physical Self-concept Compassion Outdoor education Health/fitness Confidence Group cooperation Nature awareness Skills Self-efficacy Respect for others Problem Solving Strength Personal testing Communication Outdoor techniques Coordination Well being Belonging Value clarification Physical activity Actualisation Friendship Conservation education Balance Sensation seeking Behaviour feedback Outdoor pursuits are well established in our educational and community participation practices. For example: • many primary and secondary schools offer outdoor education programs as an integral part of the personal growth and learning processes; • many countries, including Australia, successfully offer outdoor adventure experiences to adolescent offenders and youth at risk; • outdoor skills are an integral part of training for the various emergency services, and professions involving exposure to the outdoors, such as maritime, parks and wildlife, forestry, armed services etc; • eco-tourism is increasingly promoted for domestic and international tourists; and • camps and adventure programs are popular strategies for personal development and team building initiatives by corporations and government. 14 ‘Outdoor adventure pursuits: foundations, models and theories,’ pg.6, A.W. Ewert, 1989. 15 ‘Outdoor adventure pursuits: foundations, models and theories,’ pg. 49, A.W. Ewert, 1989. Future Direction of Outdoor Pursuits in WA 11
12 Trends in participation The following participation trends are relevant to outdoor pursuits: • Less club-based participation – A move away from club membership, loyalty, volunteerism, time dedicated to a single activity or club is evident. Increasing preference is for sampling many activities with minimal ongoing commitment. This has led to increased popularity of individual activities, such as climbing, canoeing, etc. in both outdoor and indoor environments. • Individual and group participation - Land managers are observing participation from both organised groups with accredited instructors and leaders (structured participation), and from individuals and small informal groups seeking their own adventure (non-structured participation). There is a definite change in the balance towards fewer groups and more individual and informal pursuit of outdoor activities such as trail walking, scuba, canoeing, and cycling. • Economic benefit - Annual household expenditure on sport and recreation is running at $7.335 billion nationally (1998/99 ABS data), of which a large, but unspecified, proportion is attributable to outdoor pursuits. 16 • Policy shifts – Local governments and community groups are taking an increasing management role in outdoor pursuits, as it is an opportunity to explore diversification strategies in their regions. Policy changes in primary industries and other land use issues are driving outdoor pursuits and tourism to become an increasingly important regional socio-economic factor. Structure of outdoor pursuits in WA Outdoor pursuits occur in any, or a combination of natural environments, including land, water and air, hence management and organisation of activities is complex in structure. Governance, management and coordination of outdoor pursuits is disparate involving numerous government agencies, service providers (commercial and not-for-profit) and relevant peak bodies. Ongoing access to, and participation in outdoor pursuits is reliant on the development of effective relationships/partnerships between these relevant stakeholders. Government Government has a responsibility for the governance, management and standards related to outdoor pursuits that can directly influence access to and participation in outdoor pursuits activities. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following government agencies: • Department of Sport and Recreation (e.g. organisational development for peak governing bodies; policy development for industry standards/guidelines); • Department of Conservation and Land Management (e.g. provides access and conversation of Crown land and natural environments; industry standards); • Department of Planning and Infrastructure (e.g. regulation and registration of recreational boating); 16 ‘Sport and Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 1997,’ Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Publication Cat no. 4156.0. Future Direction of Outdoor Pursuits in WA
Page 1 and 2: Future Direction of Outdoor Pursuit
Page 3 and 4: 4 Contents Executive Summary ......
Page 5 and 6: 6 • the debate on public liabilit
Page 7 and 8: 8 Strategy 6 - Public Liability Ref
Page 9: 10 Reference Group The reference gr
Page 13 and 14: 14 Business • Characterised by a
Page 15 and 16: 16 • Nomination of prescribed sit
Page 17 and 18: 18 A number of systems have been in
Page 19 and 20: 20 4. Strategies and Recommendation
Page 21 and 22: 22 Sport and Recreation recognises
Page 23 and 24: 24 Strategy 6 - Public Liability Re
Page 25 and 26: 26 Appendix 1: Excerpt from the Cor
Page 27 and 28: 28 Country Current trend in Sample
Page 29 and 30: 30 Links to other government polici
Page 31 and 32: 32 References A Guide to safe pract
Page 33 and 34: 34 Useful Additional Reading Educat

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