Exploring the Role of Determinants Affecting Responsible Underwater Behaviour of Marine-Based Tourists.

This study utilised divers' demographic characteristics, diving experience, and attitudes to analyse the association between these factors and divers' responsible underwater behaviour among Chinese scuba divers in Hong Kong. More innovatively, the measurement construct of diving attitude was further employed as a mediator to investigate its influence on the relationship between divers' diving experience and responsible underwater behaviours based on the conceptual framework of previous works in the literature. The questionnaire data for this study were collected at four of the most popular dive sites among the marine protected areas in Hong Kong, with 398 valid samples after eliminating incomplete questionnaires. Regression results demonstrated that divers' demographic characteristics could significantly predict their responsible underwater behaviour, with age (b = 0.10, p < 0.05) and education (b = 0.15, p < 0.05) being found to be positively associated with their diving behaviour. In addition, path analysis demonstrated that divers' diving experience and attitude could explain 13.6% and 22.6% of the variance in predicting their responsible diving behaviour, respectively. However, no mediation effect was found on the relationship between diving experience and responsible underwater behaviour relative to diving attitude, given the absence of statistical effects regarding the positive impact of divers' diving experience on their attitude (ß = 0.024, se = 0.022, t = 1.085, p = 0.279). Based on the research findings, theoretical and practical implications were discussed correspondingly, which are believed to be beneficial in promoting marine conservation and the sustainable development of marine-based nature tourism in Hong Kong.

Recreational specialization and the marine-based conservation behaviour intention of recreational divers in Hong Kong.

This study examined divers' recreational specialization, pro-environmental attitudes, and marine-based conservation behaviour intentions. A questionnaire-based data collection approach was used to survey 398 divers who visited popular diving sites in Hong Kong by employing structural equation modelling to determine the potential relationships among the proposed variables. The results showed a statistically positive relationship between divers' recreational specialization and their pro-environmental attitudes, along with a statistically valid relationship between divers' recreational specialization and their marine-based conservation behaviour intentions. However, divers' pro-environmental attitudes were not statistically significant with their marine-based conservation behaviour intentions; thus, the discrepancy regarding different research findings between the current and previous studies was further discussed. In particular, our findings confirmed that recreational specialization could be a reliable predictor of divers' pro-environmental attitudes and marine-based conservation behaviour intentions to fill the research gaps regarding scuba diving-based nature tourism in Hong Kong. Consequently, management implications and recommendations were presented in accordance with the development of marine environmental conservation and sustainable scuba diving tourism in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's new wave of migration: socio-political factors of individuals' intention to emigrate.

With a recent surge in the outward movement of the population, a new wave of emigration has been suggested to have started in Hong Kong. It is speculated that recent socio-political changes in Hong Kong may have contributed to this phenomenon. Therefore, five socio-political variables-mobility, sense of place, trust and confidence in the law and the legal system, global citizenship, and perception of inequality-are employed in this study as proposed determinants to investigate the intention of Hong Kong residents to migrate to mainland China and to other international destinations. A random telephone questionnaire survey representative of the local population was conducted, with a total of 801 valid samples collected. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was carried out. The results showed that all five proposed socio-political variables successfully predicted people's migration intention to mainland China and to foreign countries, with important variations between the two choices. Our results carry strong implications for understanding people's concerns behind their intention to emigrate. Further, our findings present a challenge for Hong Kong; society may gradually be failing to accommodate individuals with diverse perceptions and values, particularly in terms of trust and confidence in the law and the legal system, and individuals' sense of global citizenship.

Protected areas as a space for pandemic disease adaptation: A case of COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

As COVID-19 has swept across the world, governments have been prompted to order social distancing measures, from the closure of schools, restaurants and public facilities to quarantines and lockdowns. Access to and contact with nature have been suggested to help combat impacts associated with isolation measures, and a coincidental surge in the number of visitors to country parks in Hong Kong has recently been observed. The current study sought to explore the visitation of country parks as an adaptation to COVID-19 by employing the socio-psychological model of precautionary adaptation (SPMPA). Questionnaire surveys were administered in 12 country parks in Hong Kong, and a total of 600 samples were collected. A conceptual model based on the SPMPA was proposed and tested through multiple regression analysis. Significant associations between perceived severity, threat experience and adaptative behaviour were found, suggesting the possible risks of visiting country parks. However, the relationships among perceived adaptation efficacy, adaptation cost and reliance on public adaptation implied that the adaptative benefits of visiting country parks may outweigh the risks when proper visitor management measures are implemented. The findings highlighted the importance of providing accessible protected areas or other types of nature-based spaces to facilitate the adaptation of people to disease outbreaks in both the short and long run.

Contingent valuation of dolphin watching activities in South China: The difference between local and non-local participants.

Ecotourism has seen both demand and attention increase globally and locally. Dolphin watching tours, as a type of nature-based activity, have become popular in Tai O of Hong Kong. However, little attention has been paid to the quality and pricing of the tour operators in relation to the expectations of visitors. This study seeks to understand the willingness to pay (WTP) of local and non-local visitors and the relationship between WTP and environmentally responsible behavioural intentions (ERBI) and satisfaction. The key findings include a positive correlation between WTP and ERBI for local visitors and a positive correlation between WTP and satisfaction for non-local visitors. These differences between local and non-local visitors are the result of the affective connection of local visitors to the environment, as such connection is not found among non-local visitors. These findings provide important clues to help improve pricing strategies and service quality towards achieving a sustainable ecotourism industry in Hong Kong, and they offer implications for ecotourism elsewhere.

Microplastic Contamination of Wild and Captive Flathead Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus).

A total of 60 flathead grey mullets were examined for microplastic ingestion. Thirty wild mullets were captured from the eastern coast of Hong Kong and 30 captive mullets were obtained from fish farms. Microplastic ingestion was detected in 60% of the wild mullets, with an average of 4.3 plastic items per mullet, while only 16.7% of captive mullets were found to have ingested microplastics, with an average of 0.2 items per mullet. The results suggested that wild mullets have a higher risk of microplastic ingestion than their captive counterparts. The most common plastic items were fibres that were green in colour and small in size (<2 mm). Polypropylene was the most common polymer (42%), followed by polyethylene (25%). In addition, the abundance of microplastics was positively correlated with larger body size among the mullets.

Spatio-temporal comparison of neustonic microplastic density in Hong Kong waters under the influence of the Pearl River Estuary.

Rivers are recognised as an important source of plastic debris in the open sea. The Pearl River in China is estimated to transport 0.1milliontonnes of plastic waste to the open sea annually. However, no empirical study has been conducted to assess the plastic contamination levels in the Pearl River Estuary. Hong Kong is situated in the east of the Pearl River Estuary; its western waters are strongly influenced by river discharge, whereas the eastern waters are unaffected by the freshwater plume. In this study, we quantified the neustonic plastic debris density in the western and eastern waters of Hong Kong. The mean microplastic (0.355-4.749mm) and large plastic debris (≥4.75mm) densities in the western side were 3.627 and 0.758n/m3, respectively. Seasonal comparisons indicated that both size classes of plastic debris were significantly more abundant by number in the rainy season than the dry season (p<0.001). However, the influence of rivers on plastic density at the sea surface may be highly restricted to the estuarine delta, as no significant spatial difference was found between the western and eastern waters.