South East Queensland catchments: Waterways engagement 2017 Research report

Waterways offer a range of environmental and social benefits for people living in South East Queensland. The impact of these benefits is important to understand. Each year, Healthy Land and Water produces an annual report card on environmental conditions and social impacts of the waterways across 19 catchment areas in South East Queensland (SEQ). The Report Card provides an annual assessment of the pressures facing our waterways, their current environmental condition (A-F grade), and the level of social and economic benefit the waterways provide to local communities (1-5 star rating). The 2017 QUT social science report contributes the social research data for the Healthy Land and Water annual Report Card. The study provides the social component of evidence, specifically the attitudinal and behavioural components that underpin social expectations and actions towards valuing and using local and SEQ waterways in communities across the 19 catchment areas. The 2017 social science study is guided by a conceptual-based model and two research questions focusing on the social benefits of waterways – specifically to understand the relationship between waterway condition and perceptions of waterway useability, accessibility and satisfaction, within an engagement framework. The questions specifically investigated to what extent do people use, value and benefit from engaging with in their local waterways, and to what extent do waterway conditions impact the use and enjoyment of these waterways? Data for the study were collected through a self-administered 15 minute online survey. Questions for the survey were developed from modified existing scale items and questions used in previous Healthy Waterway surveys to allow comparison. The sample was adults living in the 19 catchment areas in South East Queensland (SEQ) The 2017 survey used two recruitment strategies for sampling; panel (n = 3200) and social media (n = 722) , as a way to increase representation in the Stanley, mid Brisbane and Upper Brisbane catchments. It should be noted that analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the panel and social media data and these are therefore reported separately. Data were analysed using the statistical packages SPSS (23). Quantitative analyses provided frequencies, mean statistics, correlations regressions and cluster analysis. The study found respondents confirmed local waterways in particular, play a valuable and important role in their daily lives and that they enjoyed a range of wellness benefits from their use. Swimming and recreational activities alongside waterways, such as walking, cycling and picnics, were the most popular activities, with fishing featuring more prominently in some catchments. Similar to previous years, while local waterways were viewed as very accessible, useable, and that respondents were generally satisfied overall, the response means (average score) on all these indicators were lower than previous years. Respondents’ life satisfaction scores were found to be positively related to satisfaction of waterways and waterway conditions (local and SEQ level). This means that those people who used or visited waterways were generally more satisfied with their lives. In addition, waterway place attachment - or the benefits the respondents feel they receive from their local waterways – were reported as high in coastal aligned catchments, such as Moreton Bay and Islands Catchment, while social value – or the level of value respondents receive from using waterways with their friends and family – were reported as high in the Mid Brisbane catchment area. Conditions of local waterways, such as perceptions of water clarity and cleanliness, were found to influence activities in or alongside a waterway. The study also found that in general, people were limited in their protection activities. For those who did report being active in stewardship, rubbish clean-up and monitoring were the most commonly undertaken. Tallebudgera showed the highest levels of stewardship with their local waterways while Upper Brisbane showed the lowest levels. Discussion responding to the two research questions is presented in the conclusion section, followed by key recommendations, with opportunities for future research identified