A Sense of Place Identity & Dependence to Australia Zoo
In general, environmental identity explains the importance of the natural environment (Clayton & Myers, 2015). But a more specific way to capture the essence of environmental identity is through the form of place identity. Place identity refers to the aspect of identity that is associated with feelings about a particular location. For Robert, this particular location is the Australia Zoo. His development of place identity towards the Australia Zoo can be due to his family in great part. As mentioned by Robert in an interview on his 15th birthday, he grew up in the middle of the zoo, got used to all the animals and it became part of his life (skip to the 2:42 minute mark in the video below). The Australia Zoo is a place where memories of Robert are intertwined with since young, leading to emotional connotations and symbolic significance.
Additionally, place dependence can also be observed in Robert when it comes to the Australia Zoo. Place dependence is described as the extent of dependence one has on a particular place to fulfil one’s goals (Kyle, Graefe, Manning & Bacon, 2004). With Robert’s passion for conservationism, the Australia Zoo plays an important role for Robert to achieve his goals. Through the zoo, Robert was enabled to push out programmes such as educational tours for visitors to better inform them of the importance of conservation and animal breeding programmes to protect endangered species such as the koalas and king cobras.
The development of Robert’s strong sense of place identity and dependence towards the Australia Zoo would not have been possible without his family’s support and dedication towards the zoo and wildlife conservation. On numerous occasions, he has also publicly announced his affection for his family through his social media posts and interviews stating that family always comes first. Clayton & Myers (2015) suggested that affection due to an association with loved family members is the most common form of place attachment in children, and this is evident in Robert. His family formed the bridge to his development of place identity and dependence towards the Australia Zoo.