2005 Volume 13 Pages 11-22,121
This article considers some relationships between outdoor activities, nature and society, using some Australian examples. It considers how universal forms of outdoor sports and recreation may be as inappropriate for Australia as were some imported plants, animals, and farming practices that in the past caused environmental problems. It discusses how outdoor sports and activities can be considered as a kind of environmental education, either intentional or unintentional. The article argues that to understand how outdoor sports and activities are shaped by, and contribute to wider society, they must be understood not only as social and culturally constructed, but also geographically constructed. Three examples are presented. (1) The story of bushwalking in Australia illustrates how a social movement largely driven by a desire to know the country was transformed, under the influence of formal education and training courses, into a generic outdoor sport based on seeing the country as strange and unfamiliar. (2) The particular history and characteristics of the Lyell forest intersect with different patterns of outdoor activities to shape different understandings of the forest within the local community. The example shows how outdoor activities distribute environmental knowledge in a community, and shape community interests. (3) The imported sport of cross country skiing can be seen as a technical sport that requires Australian alpine areas to be transformed into universal playing fields, and as such is a kind of environmental mis-education. It discusses how cross country skiing could be developed in a way that is more respectful towards local environments.
