Landowners' Responses to an Endangered Species Act Listing and Implications for Encouraging Conservation

Abstract

Private landowners manage many rare species' habitats, yet research on their responses to species conservation legislation is scarce. To address this need, we examined private landowners' responses to the listing of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) as threatened under the U.S. EndangeredSpecies Act (ESA). We mailed a questionnaire designed to measure these responses to a sample of landowners. The adjusted response rate was 46% (n = 379). The questionnaire asked landowners whether they had managed their land to improve the Preble's habitat and to minimize the chance of the Preble's living on it. We also asked whether landowners had or would allow a survey for the Preble's on their property. We hypothesized that landowners would respond to these questions based on their aesthetic preferences, economic concerns, information sources, parcel size, personal values, recreation activities, residence status, social influences, and other factors. Listing the Preble's under the ESA does not appear to have enhanced its survival prospects on private land. In terms of hectares owned, for example, the efforts of landowners who reported they had sought to help the Preble's (25%) were canceled out by the efforts of those who sought to harm it (26%). Moreover, the majority of respondents had not or would not allow a biological survey (56%), thus preventing the collection of data for conserving the species. All eight hypothesized determinants significantly predicted responses to the listing when they were considered individually. When considered simultaneously, however, only one economic consideration (dependence on agriculture), recreation activity (consumptive), and social factor (distrusting government), and select information sources (conservation and social), and personal values (valuing nature, valuing local control, and denying landowner responsibility) remained direct determinants. To promote the conservation of rare species by private landowners, we recommend communicating information through social networks, alleviating landowners' economic concerns, increasing use of collaborative processes, and institutionalizing assurances that landowners will not be harmed by managing their land to help rare species.Respuestas de Terratenientes a un Listado Relacionado al Acta de Especies en Peligro y Sus Implicaciones para Promover la Conservación Resumen: Propietarios privados manejan el hábitat de muchas especies raras, sin embargo son escasas las investigaciones sobre sus respuestas a la legislación sobre conservación de especies. Para atender esta necesidad, examinamos las respuestas de propietarios privados a la inclusión del ratón de Preble (Zapus hudsonius preblei) en la lista de especies amenazadas según el Acta de Especies en Peligro (AEP) de E.U. A. Para medir estas respuestas, enviamos por correo un cuestionario a una muestra de terratenientes. La tasa ajustada de respuesta fue 46% (n = 379). El cuestionario le preguntaba a los terratenientes si habían manejado sus terrenos para mejorar el hábita...

It is just not fair: the Endangered Species Act in the United States and Ontario

“…The distribution of benefits and burdens has been explored in great detail with numerous case studies. This is true even inside conservation literature, because we know the importance of landowner incentives and compensation schemes (see Farrier 1995, Brook et al 2003, Kreuter et al 2006, Muradian et al 2013). However, we know much less about the perceived fairness of conservation policy (Olive 2014, Pascual et al 2014 and even less about the importance of landowner recognition.…”

“…Kreuter et al (2006), for example, found that landowners in Colorado, Texas, and Utah generally disagreed with the notion that landowners should protect endangered species habitat without compensation from the public. Similarly, Brook et al (2003Brook et al ( :1641 found a positive correlation between landowners who thought they should not "bear financial responsibility" for conservation and those indicating that they managed their properties to minimize the chance of an endangered species occupying it. These studies have led to the conclusion that compensation would be fairer.…”

Increasing participation in incentive programs for biodiversity conservation

“…Landowners generally believe that they should be compensated for protecting at-risk or endangered species (Brook et al 2003, Kreuter et al 2006, Raymond and Olive 2008. Landowners showed a strong preference for increasing their profit.…”

Farmers and nature conservation: What is known about attitudes, context factors and actions affecting conservation?

“…To be acknowledged as a good farmer in the farming community in the UK, the appearance of the farm is important: straight planted crops, tidy ditches and managed hedges 28 . There is a fear among farmers of losing control over the land, and as a result of this fear 56% of US farmers would not allow a biological survey of their land to avoid the risk of having their land regulated 29 . Likewise, there is concern about the potential for official designation of endangered species on their land that may limit decisions in management.…”