Outdoor recreation and plant biosecurity in the Snowy Mountains region of NSW Australia

We report on research conducted to understand how people undertaking outdoor recreation activities might perceive their role in contributing to biosecurity management. The research explored visitors and residents' knowledge, experience, meanings and practices of recreation and biosecurity in the Snowy Mountains region of NSW, Australia. An online survey investigated the routines and activities that occur when packing for, undertaking and unpacking from outdoor recreation trips. The survey looked at where, why and how people undertake some form of action to clean their recreation clothing and equipment, including how these routines might change or stay the same for different types of recreation activities. Biosecurity is the product of not just individual behaviour but is the result of social cultural factors in everyday recreation life. The results have relevance for managing landscapes where the issues of biosecurity and recreation are reflected.