In lakes but not in minds: stakeholder knowledge of invasive species in prairie lakes

Abstract

Humans are key vectors in the spread and establishment of aquatic invasive species (AIS), and human behavior can exacerbate or help prevent further spread of non-native species. Therefore, stakeholders' knowledge is critical to preventing establishment of AIS. However, stakeholders' AIS knowledge in prairie lakes remains poorly understood. We used a survey questionnaire in Saskatchewan, Canada, to assess the state of AIS knowledge, identify predictors of knowledge, and optimize management strategies. Statistical analyses of the responses of 440 participants indicated a generally low level of AIS knowledge, suggesting low communication success. Respondents were generally more aware of non-native fishes than plants. Of concern was the observation of substantial knowledge gaps regarding non-native mussels and important preventative behaviors that may have devastating ecological, social, and economic consequences if left unaddressed. Better understanding of AIS issues was significantly associated with several trans-situational (age, sex and education), situational (recreational purpose and using multiple lakes), and lake-related knowledge (awareness of eutrophication) predictors. Exploitation of these predictors is recommended to improve effectiveness of outreach and communication efforts. Specifically, we propose that management strategies focus on improving communications by streamlining outreach messages, targeting low-knowledge groups (e.g., swimmers, cabin owners), and expanding education campaigns.

Public preferences for the management of different invasive alien forest taxa

“…An EWRR relies heavily on people's knowledge about IAS, which, according to several studies (Ansong and Pickering 2015;Carlson and Vondracek 2014;Ford-Thompson et al 2015;Nanayakkara et al 2018;Sharp et al 2011), can affect their capacity to participate in managing IAS and therefore successfully implement the system. In our research, the media obviously plays a key role in informing the public about IAS and, as confirmed by Marzano et al (2015), significantly contributes to the public's understanding of IAS related issues.…”

“…The success of rapid response relies heavily on public support for implementing IAS management measures, which is strongly associated with people's pre-existing knowledge on various measures (Jetter and Paine 2004;Nanayakkara et al 2018;White and Ward 2010), demographic variables (Fuller et al 2016;Marzano et al 2017;Nanayakkara et al 2018), environmental values (Flint 2006;Nanayakkara et al 2018 . Thus, we focused our attention on investigating these relationships.…”

“…Several studies have been published on the attitudes of the public towards alien species and possible management measures (Ansong and Pickering 2015;Fischer and Charnley 2012;Ford-Thompson et al 2015;Lindemann-Matthies 2016;Nanayakkara et al 2018;Porth et al 2015;Rolfe and Windle 2014;Subroy et al 2018;Verbrugge et al 2013). However, most of these studies focused on only one taxonomic group-similar to the findings of Courchamp et al (2017)-from which the invasive plant species were best studied.…”

“…We could find only a few studies covering several taxonomic groups of species. These include that of Nanayakkara et al (2018) addressing fish, plants and shellfish and that of Bremner and Park (2007) investigating preferences for management for several animal and plant species. Such focused studies are appropriate for tackling issues related to the addressed species; however, they might not be useful for extrapolating insights to other IAS (Shackleton et al 2019a).…”

Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin Volume 27 Number 4 November 2018 103–140

“…Assessing the current status of stocked game fish species along with naturally occurring fish populations helped evaluate their vulnerability to changing environmental conditions, including sublethal effects, and quantify the sustainability of populations to future environmental change. Developing a deeper understanding of stakeholder knowledge about aquatic invasive species also helped identify critical knowledge gaps that may further compromise the long-term sustainability of fish populations and continuous lake-use (Nanayakkara et al 2018). Currently, there is no universally accepted methodology for conducting interdisciplinary SES research.…”