Volunteerism among private-land owners for detection of invasive species

Management of our nation's natural resources to meet important social goals will rely increasingly on volunteerism among private-landowners. This research explores the use of citizen volunteers to collect data for use by an agency that monitors for invasive pests of oak woodlands. Increasing group identity and a sense of community among the woodlot owners, enhancing trust in government agencies, and providing feedback on their volunteering efforts may increase the likelihood that these private landowners will initially volunteer and then continue their monitoring for the first appearance of several high priority invasive insect pests.

The research studies two social interventions to increase volunteerism: one aimed to increase levels of common in-group community identity, and the other aimed to increase trust in the governmental agency that regulates invasive species in Minnesota. The team will learn whether increased levels of community identity increase volunteer participation, and if increased trust in a specific governmental agency further increases participation above the effect of increased community identity. The research also will evaluate factors related to the retention of volunteers, contrasting the effect of prompt, extensive feedback versus minimal feedback on the quality and quantity of volunteer work, and on the long term retention rate.

The broader impact of this research goes beyond the invasive species problems in question and extends to general issues involving volunteerism, collective identity, trust in government, and the efficiency of joint government-citizen-volunteer efforts. The focus is on understanding what motivates citizens to get involved in local governance and decision making.

Practical goals are to reduce the cost and improve the effectiveness of detecting invasive species, and to meet public demands for conservation services from private landowners. Presently, the cost of agency-based monitoring and inadequate detection is high. Specific information about the effectiveness of proposed interventions to increase civic engagement and trust in government has great social value for reducing these costs. The findings also have the potential to improve management of invasive species.