Community-based conservation volunteering : motivations, barriers, and strategies for volunteer recruitment and retention to optimise conservation outcomes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resource Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

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dc.confidentialEmbargo : No
dc.contributor.advisorHytten, Karen
dc.contributor.authorSextus, Charlotte
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-01T20:47:34Z
dc.date.available2025-04-01T20:47:34Z
dc.date.issued2025-02-28
dc.description.abstractCommunity-based conservation involves members of the public participating in a wide range of natural resource management activities. It empowers people to contribute to taking care of the environment in their local area. Community-based conservation is growing in Aotearoa New Zealand, and around the world. Aotearoa New Zealand has approximately 940 community-based conservation groups. Collectively, these groups make an invaluable contribution to biodiversity conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Community-based conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand is extremely important as there is a need for ongoing conservation initiatives due to significant habitat loss and the devastating impact of introduced mammalian predators However, there is little research investigating what motivates individuals to participate in these groups and the factors that may limit their ability to get involved and stay involved. Using the Manawatū region of Aotearoa New Zealand as a study site, this research explores the factors that influence public participation in community-based conservation. It investigates what motivates participation; what volunteers gain from participation; what prevents or stops participation; and what can be done to encourage more participation in community-based conservation. Following a systematic literature review, three research methods were used: an online investigation of local community-based conservation groups, in depth semi-structured interviews with 21 key stakeholders, and an online questionnaire completed by 101 local community-based conservation volunteers. The questionnaire covered volunteering details, demographic characteristics of volunteers, motivations, commitment, satisfaction, barriers to volunteering, environmental monitoring and pro-environmental behaviours. The research showed that community-based conservation volunteers in the Manawatū tended to be older, highly educated and either retired or in less than full time employment. The most important initial motivation factors were found to be “to care for the environment” followed by “to help the local community”, “as a connection to nature” and “to be outside, or amongst nature”. “To advance my career” was the least important motivation factor followed by “for stress relief or escape” and “to get exercise”. The research showed that the most successful form of recruitment was through social interactions with volunteers and word of mouth. The main barriers to participation were time taken, travelling distance and health issues. Long-term motivations were similar to initial motivations with “to care for the environment” and “to help the local community” identified as the most important, in both instances. “To learn new skills, or knowledge” is the only motivational factor that decreased in importance between initial and long-term motivations. Some motivation factors increased substantially in importance including “to help the local community”, “to socialize with others” and “for stress relief or escape”. A high proportion of volunteers also had a strong connection to the group or place where they volunteered and to nature in general. Relationships between volunteers, non-government organisations and government agencies also impacted the success of local groups, and community-based environmental monitoring was key to obtaining funding and documenting success. The findings of this study will be useful in informing strategies for the recruitment and retention of volunteers and to improve the success of local community-based conservation in a range of settings. Such strategies might include managers of community-based conservation groups explicitly taking motivation factors into account within project and programme design and implementation, allowing more time for socialisation between volunteers, providing volunteers with ongoing training, education and recognition, providing a range of flexible volunteering opportunities targeting different types of volunteers, building positive relationships with other groups, relevant government agencies, local businesses and iwi, and working more collaboratively with other community-based conservation groups to achieve shared objectives.
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/72707
dc.publisherMassey University
dc.rights© The Author
dc.subjectenvironmental volunteering, community-based conservation, volunteering, volunteer motivation, volunteer commitment, volunteering barriers, volunteer satisfaction, volunteer recruitment, pro-environmental behaviours, New Zealand, volunteer retention, volunteer commitment, community-based environmental monitoring
dc.subject.anzsrc410404 Environmental management
dc.titleCommunity-based conservation volunteering : motivations, barriers, and strategies for volunteer recruitment and retention to optimise conservation outcomes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resource Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
thesis.degree.disciplineEnvironmental Resource Management
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy
thesis.description.doctoral-citation-abridgedCommunity-based conservation groups make an invaluable contribution to biodiversity conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Using the Manawatū region as a case study, Mrs Sextus investigated the key factors that influence public participation in community-based conservation. She explored what motivates volunteers; what prevents people from volunteering; and strategies to improve volunteer recruitment and retention to optimise conservation outcomes.
thesis.description.doctoral-citation-longCommunity-based conservation groups make an invaluable contribution to biodiversity conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world. Using the Manawatū region as a case study, this research investigated the factors that influence public participation in community-based conservation, including what motivates volunteers and what prevents people from volunteering. The results showed that volunteers have a wide range of motivations, and that there are a variety of challenges that can prevent people from volunteering and limit the effectiveness of community-based conservation groups. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for strategies to improve volunteer recruitment and retention to optimise conservation outcomes.
thesis.description.name-pronounciationCharlotte Sextus SHAR-LIT SEX-T-UH-S
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