Exploring pathways to participation in an at‐risk species conservation program

Abstract

The success of conservation efforts for imperiled and endangered wildlife species relies on private landowners, yet a definitive model of landowner cooperation remains elusive. We use a case study to explore the multiple pathways by which demographics, rootedness, resource dependence, environmental attitudes, social influence, and program structure intersect to jointly explain participation in a federally funded cost-share program to help prevent the Lesser Prairie-Chicken from being listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We conducted structured interviews across three ecoregions with 64 participants and 22 nonparticipants. We analyzed the data using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, an approach that identifies the multiple combinations of conditions related to engagement in the program. We found that two concepts, landowner characteristics and social influence, were most commonly associated with participation while profiles representing typical landowner tropes performed poorly. Finally, the positive effect of encouragement by agency representatives suggests that agency staff play a central role in determining participation. It also suggests landowners' decision processes may not be as deliberative as the literature on private lands conservation suggests. The results of our case study suggest new avenues for research that explicitly consider the role of heuristics in decisions to participate. K E Y W O R D Sdecision making, endangered species, incentive program, lesser prairie-chicken, prelisting conservation, private landowners, private lands, qualitative comparative analysis, southern great plains, Tympanuchus pallidicinctus | INTRODUCTIONAn increased number of species are receiving protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) due to increasing human demands on natural resources and their resulting negative impacts to wildlife populations. Nearly two-thirds of these federally listed species occupy private land, and approximately one-third occupy only private lands (Evans et al., 2016). Achieving private landowner cooperation with endangered species recovery efforts has historically been challenging due to concern over land regulation (Norris, 2004).

Factors associated with preemptive conservation under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

“…Our coarse proxies for costs and norms likely fall short in capturing the more nuanced species‐ and region‐specific characteristics of the economic and social context, but they have the advantage of being available across our full study region. In studies with more limited scope, norms could be measured more precisely with landowner surveys (e.g., Sorice et al., 2021).…”

Examining landowners' preferences for a chronic wasting disease management program

“…Incentives have the potential to change the behaviors of individuals pertinent to wildlife conservation and management (Reddy et al 2017), including the management of CWD (Petchenik 2006). Yet, scholars warn of the need to understand the preferences of people affected by incentive programs before program development (Sorice and Conner 2010, Sorice et al 2021). This is especially true for controversial issues like CWD, where experiences demonstrate the potential for conflict over the choice of management approach and framing of goals (Holsman et al 2010).…”