From nature visits to conservation awareness: A visitor survey report at Shiretoko National Park, Japan

A survey of 100 international visitors to Shiretoko National Park, Japan, revealed that while the park's natural beauty and wildlife encounters significantly enhanced conservation awareness for some, exposure to broader conservation challenges and local success stories remained limited. Visitors highly valued well-maintained trails and infrastructure but suggested improvements in multilingual information, marine and terrestrial conservation messaging, and socio-cultural context integration. The study highlights Shiretoko’s potential as a platform for deeper visitor engagement with conservation issues, though brief visits or pre-existing habits often mitigated impact.

Brias Guinart, A., Torrents-Ticó, M., Forrest, R., Akiba, K., Yamamoto, Y., & Sakurai, R. (2026). From nature visits to conservation awareness: A visitor survey report at Shiretoko National Park, Japan (, Ed.). University of Helsinki. https://doi.org/10.31885/2026.062211