Department of Fish & Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Research Institute, Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2018 Apr 4;13(4):e0194740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194740. eCollection 2018.
Sustained management efforts by private landowners are crucial for the long-term success of private land natural resource conservation and related environmental benefits. Landowner outreach is a primary means of recruiting private landowners into voluntary conservation incentive programs, and could also help sustain conservation behaviors through time. However, evaluation of outreach targeting landowners during or after participation in natural resource conservation incentive programs is lacking. We assessed two methods of landowner outreach associated with a Natural Resources Conservation Service incentive program targeting effective management of early successional forest habitat on private land in the Appalachians and Upper Great Lakes regions of the United States. While early successional forest habitat benefits many wildlife species, the program target species were the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) and American Woodcock (Scolopax minor). After habitat management through the program occurred, biological technicians monitored wildlife and vegetation on enrolled properties and results were communicated to landowners in mailed packets. Our research focused on whether landowner interactions with technicians or receipt of result mailings could influence landowner post-program management intentions and management-related cognitions (e.g., agency trust, perceptions of outcomes). We conducted a telephone survey with landowners from January to May 2017, and analyzed survey data using quantitative group comparisons and qualitative coding methods. Landowners that accompanied biological technicians on monitoring site visits had higher agency trust and more positive perceptions of program outcomes. Result mailings did not improve landowner perceptions of program outcomes or agency trust, but did provide benefits such as increased landowner knowledge about birds. Neither outreach method was associated with more positive landowner post-program management intentions. Our findings underline the importance and potential of direct interactions between conservation biologists and landowners. These two forms of non-traditional outreach administered by biologists could be a worthwhile component of future conservation program evaluations on private lands.
私人土地所有者的持续管理努力对于私人土地自然资源保护和相关环境效益的长期成功至关重要。土地所有者外展是招募私人土地所有者参与自愿保护激励计划的主要手段，也可以帮助随着时间的推移维持保护行为。然而，针对参与自然资源保护激励计划期间或之后的土地所有者进行外展的评估是缺乏的。我们评估了与美国阿巴拉契亚和上大湖区自然资源保护服务激励计划相关的两种土地所有者外展方法，该计划旨在有效管理私人土地上的早期演替森林生境。虽然早期演替森林生境有益于许多野生动物物种，但该计划的目标物种是金翅莺（Vermivora chrysoptera）和美洲丘鹬（Scolopax minor）。在通过该计划进行生境管理后，生物技术人员监测了注册物业上的野生动物和植被，并将结果通过邮寄包裹传达给土地所有者。我们的研究重点是土地所有者与技术员的互动或收到结果邮件是否会影响土地所有者计划后的管理意图和与管理相关的认知（例如，机构信任、对结果的看法）。我们在 2017 年 1 月至 5 月期间对土地所有者进行了电话调查，并使用定量组比较和定性编码方法分析了调查数据。陪同生物技术员进行监测现场访问的土地所有者具有更高的机构信任度和对计划结果的更积极看法。结果邮件并没有改善土地所有者对计划结果或机构信任的看法，但确实提供了一些好处，例如增加了土地所有者对鸟类的了解。这两种外展方法都与土地所有者计划后的更积极管理意图无关。我们的研究结果强调了保护生物学家与土地所有者之间直接互动的重要性和潜力。这两种由生物学家管理的非传统外展形式可能是未来私人土地保护计划评估的一个有价值的组成部分。
