Local People’s Motives for Biodiversity Conservation

Maria Johansson

Department of Environmental Psychology

Lund Institute of Technology

E-mail: Maria.Johansson@mpe.lth.se

This research was financed by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning and carried out by Dr Maria Johansson and Dr Marianne Lindström.

Purpose of Study

• Identify the local population’s personal motives for biodiversity conservation.

• Analyse these motives in the context of Stern et al., (1995) social-psychological model of environmental concern.

Bio(logical) diversity

”The genetic diversity within each species, the range of species in a given ecosystem (species diversity) and the diversity of ecosystems across an entire region. ”

Primack, 2000

Bio(logical) diversity

”The genetic diversity within each species, the range of species in a given ecosystem (species diversity) and the diversity of ecosystems across an entire region. ”

Primack, 2000

Method

Position in social structure age, gender, category belonging

Environmental value orientation egoistic, social-altruistic, biospheric

Motives for biodiveristy conservation

Specific attitude towards biodiveristy conservation

Intention to support biodiversity conservation

Conservation behaviour

Basic human values

Adapted from Stern et al., 1995

Kristianstad

Municipality

Participants in the Questionnaire Survey

Category Number of respondents

Public 80 Members of outdoor organisation 50 Farmers 48 Business managers 67 Officials at municipality and county 26 Total 271

Measurements

Concept Measurement

Position in social structure Age, gender, category belonging

Environmental value orientation Biospheric Egoistic Social-altruistic Measured by Stern’s 2001 instrument

Motives to protect local biodiversity 20 motives identified in focus groups discussions

Attitude towards local biodiversity conservation

Priority of conservation of 31 local biotopes and species Importance of conserving the biodiversity of 5 local areas

Importance of Conservation

1

2

3

4

L o c a lb io d iv e r s it y

B a lt ic s e a T r o p ic a lr a in f o r e s t

A little

Fairly much

Very much

The most

Viltväxande blommor

Wild flowers

Deciduous forest

Sjöar och vattendrag

Lakes and streams

Ängs- och betesmarker

Meadows and grazed grasslands

Personal Motives for Conservation

• Human well-being and recreation

M=3.24, SD=.51, Cronbach’s alpha=.85

• Human survivalM=2.81, SD=.59, Cronbach’s alpha=.81

• Respect for natureM=3.47, SD=.48, Cronbach’s alpha=.77

Testing the Hierarchical Structure

Step I. The influence of social structure on environmental value orientation

-Women to a higher degree expressed a social-altruistic orientation than did men.

Step II. The influence of environmental value orientation on motives

Biospheric Social-altruistic Egoistic

Human well-being and recreation

Biospheric Social-altruistic Human survival Egoistic

Biospheric Social-altruistic Respect for nature Egoistic

Value orientation Motive

Step III. The influence of motives on attitude towards biodiversity conservation

Human well-being and recreation

Human survival

Attitude

Respect for nature

Step III. Importance to conserve the biodiversity of five local areas

Ur Terrängkartan © Lantmäteriverket Gävle 2003. Medgivande M2003/2677. Kartan representerar ca 20 km från väster till öster och ca 12 km från norr till söder.

NORR

SÖDER

VÄSTER ÖSTER

Human survival

Respect for nature

Human well-being and recreation

Conclusions

Conservation of local biodiversity is considered important.

Public support of conservation measures seems to be related to three groups of personal motives, partly founded in environmental value orientation.

Policy makers should assure that arguments for conser-vation are brought forward that persons of different views of nature can relate to.