Alignment between values of dryland pastoralists and conservation needs for small mammals

Abstract

Policies for conservation outside protected areas, such as those designed to address the decline in Australian mammals, will not result in net improvements unless they address barriers to proenvironmental behavior. We used a mixed-methods approach to explore potential value-action gaps (disconnects between values and subsequent action) for small mammal conservation behaviors among pastoralists in dryland Australia. Using semistructured surveys and open-ended interviews (n = 43), we explored values toward small mammals; uptake of a range of current and intended actions that may provide benefit to small mammals; and potential perceived barriers to their uptake. Pastoralists assigned great conservation value to small mammals; over 80% (n = 36) agreed to strongly agreed that small mammals on their property were important. These values did not translate into stated willingness to engage in voluntary cessation of wild-dog control (r = 0.187, p = 0.142, n = 43). However, assigning great conservation value to small mammals was strongly related to stated voluntary willingness to engage in the proenvironmental behavior most likely to result in benefits to small mammals: cat and fox control (r = 0.558, p = 0.000, n = 43). There was no significant difference between stated voluntarily and incentivized willingness to engage in cat and fox control (p = 0.862, n = 43). The high levels of willingness to engage in voluntary cat and fox control highlight a potential entry point for addressing Australia's mammal declines because the engagement of pastoralists in conservation programs targeting cat and fox control is unlikely to be prevented by attitudinal constraints. Qualitative data suggest there is likely a subpopulation of pastoralists who value small mammals but do not wish to engage in formal conservation programs due to relational barriers with potential implementers. A long-term commitment to engagement with pastoralists by implementers will thus be necessary for conservation success. On-property cat and fox control programs that build and leverage trust, shared goals, collaboration, and shared learning experiences between stakeholders and that explicitly recognize the complexity of small mammal dynamics and the property-level ecological knowledge of pastoralists are more likely to gain traction.

Linking social identity, risk perception, and behavioral psychology to understand predator management by livestock producers

“…We considered “pest controllers” relevant in an Australian context because Australia's wildlife management is heavily focused on controlling introduced species and species considered pests in comparison to other countries where lethal wildlife management may be focused on managing game for recreational or subsistence hunting purposes (Franklin ). Many Australian land managers consider control of invasive and pest species as a stewardship duty (Addison & Pavey ). The total number of respondents who indicated the extent to which they identified as pest controllers, environmentalists, and animal welfare advocates was n = 101, 100, and 102, respectively.…”

“…Little research has focused on understanding the human dimensions of dingo conservation and management outside of promoting community‐led lethal control, but there seems to be limited support for nonlethal management methods among the livestock‐producing community. One study found that Australian farmers were willing to engage in a range of voluntary conservation actions on their properties—all except reducing lethal control of dingoes, even if they were paid to do so (Addison & Pavey ). Rather than seeing dingoes as an important part of Australian ecosystems, many landowners see culling dingoes as their duty as stewards of their land, although this attitude may be shifting among some farming communities, particularly cattle producers, who may not see dingoes as a threat or even perceive benefits to maintaining dingoes such as via the suppression of large herbivores that compete with livestock for feed (Clark et al ; van Eeden et al 2019a).…”

Understanding Alignments and Mis-Alignments of Values to Better Craft Institutions in the Pastoral Drylands

“…The Australian case study draws upon the published literature, including Addison and Pavey (2017). The Mongolian case study draws upon the published literature that includes a series of published book chapters: Addison et al (2020a), Addison et al 1 | Summary of case study areas, including some examples of key biophysical, socioeconomic and value-based characteristics.…”

“…The valueorientations of dryland Indigenous people, pastoralists and urban conservationists are incredibly differentiated despite a shared interest in dryland natural resources (Holmes and Day, 1995). In relation to an increased societal interest in conservation, these value orientations, with subsequent implications for livelihood strategies, have often alienated pastoralists from the conservation discussion (Gill, 2003;Addison and Pavey, 2017). This alienation has occurred even in the absence of empirical evidence for their contribution to declining biodiversity.…”

“…This can often result in pro-environmental behavior, particularly in relation to trans-boundary issues such as the control of weeds, feral animals or fire that may affect neighbors. However, identification with landscape and landscape processes is generally very localized with knowledge about landscape highly specific and place-based (Gill, 1997;Maclean, 2009;Addison and Pavey, 2017). As Gill (1997)…”