Exploring minority ethnic communities’ access to rural green spaces: the role of agency, identity, and community-based initiatives

Most of the literature on minority ethnic communities' access to green spaces focuses on urban areas and under-representation. There is a lack of research on members of minority ethnic communities who visit rural green spaces, and even less is known about the role community-based initiatives may play in facilitating access to rural landscapes. This paper provides novel insights into motivations for visiting rural green spaces and the ways in which community-based initiatives may influence minority ethnic communities' access to rural green spaces. Walking and semi-structured interviews were used alongside surveys to collect data on three case studies. Findings include that social connection plays a key role in motivating some participants to visit rural green spaces and the community-based initiatives help to overcome some access barriers. Building on previous research, this paper argues that both agency and identity theories could help to further understand the complex factors influencing minority ethnic communities’ use of rural green spaces. The findings also indicate that rural management and outdoor organisations should carefully consider how best they may be able to provide practical and sustainable support to community-based initiatives working to increase rural green space access.