Knowledge of returning wildlife species and willingness to participate in citizen science projects among wildlife park visitors in Germany
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19583178 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emu Felicitas Ostermann‐Miyashita (0000-0002-5270-5737, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, corresponding author), Hannes König (0000-0002-4980-7388, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research), Nadja Pernat (0000-0003-2244-1002, University of Münster), Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath‐Kimura (0000-0001-7392-7796, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Sophia Hibler (0000-0003-0704-0729, University of Potsdam), Christian Kiffner (0000-0002-7475-9023, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1201-1215 |
| Publication date | 2022-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | People and Nature (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2575-8314 • E-ISSN: 2575-8314 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/pan3.10379 |
| OpenAlex | W4283798946 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 123 |
Successful conservation efforts have led to recent increases of large mammals such as European bison Bison bonasus , moose Alces alces and grey wolf Canis lupus and their return to former habitats in central Europe. While embraced by some, the recovery of these species is a controversial topic and holds potential for human‐wildlife conflicts. Involving the public has been suggested to be an effective method for monitoring wildlife and mitigating associated conflicts. To assess two interrelated prerequisites for engaging people in Citizen Science (CS)—knowledge of returning species and respondents' readiness to participate in CS activities for monitoring and managing these species—we conducted a survey (questionnaire) in two wildlife parks located in different states of Germany. Based on 472 complete questionnaires, we developed generalized linear models to understand how sociodemographic variables and exposure to the species affected visitors' knowledge of each species, and to investigate if sociodemographic variables and knowledge influenced the likelihood of visitors to participate in CS activities. Almost all visitors were aware of the returning wolf population, while knowledge and awareness about bison and moose were significantly lower. Knowledge of the two herbivores differed geographically (higher knowledge of moose in the north‐eastern state), possibly indicating a positive association between exposure to the species and knowledge. However, models generally performed poorly in predicting knowledge about wildlife, suggesting that such specific knowledge is insufficiently explained by sociodemographic variables. Our model, which explained stated willingness in CS indicated that younger participants and those with higher knowledge scores in the survey were more willing to engage in CS activities. Overall, our analyses highlight how exposure to large mammals, knowledge about wildlife and human demographics are interrelated—insights that are helpful for effectively recruiting citizen scientists for wildlife conservation. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog
Biology · Canis · Citizen science · Geography · Habitat · National park · Population · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Wildlife · Animal and Plant Science Education · Demography · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology
Knowledge, Attitude, and Willingness to Pay for Malayan Tapir Conservation Among Wildlife Center Visitors in Selangor, Malaysia
Understanding factors that influence people’s perceptions of human disturbance to wildlife using little penguins as a case study
Socio‐ecological correlates of wildlife species identification across rural communities in northern Tanzania
Modern Applied Statistics with S
Does gender make a difference in pro-environmental behavior? The case of the Basque Country University students
Various Versatile Variances
Citizen Science as an Ecological Research Tool
An interdisciplinary review of current and future approaches to improving human–predator relations
Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales
Landscapes that work for biodiversity and people
Human–wildlife coexistence in a changing world
Human–wildlife interactions in urban areas
Youth-focused citizen science
Citizen Science
Who's in and why? A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural resource management
Transformation of Experience
Environmental knowledge and conservation behavior
Stakeholder participation for environmental management
A role for Unep’s Regional Seas Programme under the post-2020 global biodiversity framework
Education, outreach, and inclusive engagement
Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science
The impacts of an invasive species citizen science training program on participant attitudes, behavior, and science literacy
Citizen science on a smartphone
Conservation as if People Also Mattered
A Survey of Ungulates by Students Along Rural School Bus Routes
More than sweat equity
Nature-based solutions and their potential to attract the young generations
Using IUCN protected areas management categories as a tool to assess youth preferences for local management of an Important Plant Area (IPA) in Lebanon
Visitors' values and environmental learning outcomes at wildlife attractions
Building consensus on divisive issues
The post-normal science of precaution
Scenario planning during rapid ecological change
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |