Coastal resident knowledge of new marine reserves in Oregon: The impact of proximity and attachment

• This article examines resident knowledge of new marine reserves in Oregon, USA.
• Data were from a mail survey of 596 residents of coastal areas in this state.
• Self-assessed knowledge about these reserves was higher than factual knowledge.
• Factual knowledge about these reserves was low.
• Knowledge did not differ by proximity, but increased slightly with attachment.

This article examines resident proximity and attachment to a new system of marine reserves in Oregon (USA), and the extent that these factors are related to both self-assessed and factual knowledge about these reserves. Data were from a survey of residents along the Oregon coast (n = 596). Residents reported higher self-assessed than factual knowledge about these reserves, which was low with 65% answering half or fewer of 16 factual questions correctly. Self-assessed and factual knowledge did not differ between communities proximate to (i.e., communities of place within 10 miles of these reserves) and more distant from these reserves (i.e., rest of coast). Factual knowledge also did not differ based on attachment to these areas, but place attachment was slightly related to aspects of self-assessed knowledge where those with higher attachment believed they were somewhat more knowledgeable about these reserves. Implications of these results for management and research are discussed.