Stakeholder Participation in Management of Invasive Vertebrates

Abstract

Stakeholders are increasingly involved in species conservation. We sought to understand what features of a participatory conservation program are associated with its ecological and social outcomes. We conducted a case study of the management of invasive vertebrates in Australia. Invasive vertebrates are a substantial threat to Australia's native species, and stakeholder participation in their management is often necessary for their control. First, we identified potential influences on the ecological and social outcomes of species conservation programs from the literature. We used this information to devise an interview questionnaire, which we administered to managers of 34 participatory invasive-vertebrate programs. Effects of invasive species were related to program initiator (agency or citizen), reasons for use of a participatory approach, and stakeholder composition. Program initiator was also related to the participation methods used, level of governance (i.e., governed by an agency or citizens), changes in stakeholder interactions, and changes in abundance of invasive species. Ecological and social outcomes were related to changes in abundance of invasive species and stakeholder satisfaction. We identified relations between changes in the number of participants, stakeholder satisfaction, and occurrence of conflict. Potential ways to achieve ecological and social goals include provision of governmental support (e.g., funding) to stakeholders and minimization of gaps in representation of stakeholder groups or individuals to, for example, increase conflict mitigation. Our findings provide guidance for increasing the probability of achieving ecological and social objectives in management of invasive vertebrates and may be applicable to other participatory conservation programs.

A Multivariate Model of Stakeholder Preference for Lethal Cat Management

“…Stakeholders fundamentally influence the success of management initiatives and the implementation of public policies [6]. Stakeholders disagree over whether current approaches to managing outdoor cats ( Felis catus ) are appropriate, effective or humane [7].…”

Venting and Reef Fish Survival: Perceptions and Participation Rates among Recreational Anglers in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

“…The collective knowledge of stakeholders can provide accurate and reliable sources of information to guide management initiatives and further empirical studies (Aswani and Hamilton 2004;Boudreau and Worm 2010;Sáenz-Arroyo et al 2005). In addition to using their knowledge as observational bases to formulate testable hypotheses (Huntington 2000;Drew 2005), understanding the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders can serve as predictors of participation, compliance, or support of management initiatives (Cooke et al 2012;Ford-Thompson et al 2012). Whether venting helps, harms, or has no effect on fish survival may provide an interesting topic for scientific debate, but the continuing lack of consensus about venting adds to the uncertainty surrounding many fish stocks.…”

Controversies and consensus on the lionfish invasion in the Western Atlantic Ocean

“…By using not only catastrophe frames, however, but also solution-oriented frames such as lionfish removal and consumption, the dominant discourse on lionfish has been successful in its call for action, as demonstrated by the findings of this study and by multiple reports of divers and fishers engaged in lionfish control throughout the region (Morris 2012, Festa 2014, as well as the August 2014 import ban of live lionfish into the state of Florida (Talbot 2014). Solution frames are consistent with the rehabilitation and reparation metaphors, with the latter's emphasis on the function of lionfish not only as a new commodity but also as a green seafood choice, contributing to a win-win rhetoric.…”

“…Potential side effects could backfire because incorporating lionfish into local cuisines could undermine desired ecological outcomes. Indeed, a nascent discourse on lionfish as fulfilling the role of overexploited native species, primarily expressed in economic terms but possibly in the cultural sense as well (Nuñez et al 2012, Festa 2014, is shifting lionfish impacts from negative to positive among various stakeholder groups.…”