Supporting public involvement in resource management decisions through inclusive conservation

Environmental conservation relies on effective public participation in research, but resource management agencies frequently struggle to engage various stakeholder groups in meaningful ways. My thesis contributes to a burgeoning literature that aims to understand how research and management can become more inclusive for engaging residents in conservation initiatives while staying rooted in theories that guide the conservation social sciences. I sought to: (1) understand how psychological factors affect community perceptions of inclusivity in land management decision-making, and (2) explore how value orientations affect group deliberation of protected areas. My research was conducted with residents of Alaska USA because this state has captivating landscapes and wildlife, as well as a large percentage of federally managed lands, which elicit deep-seated responses from local residents. I drew from a statewide survey to first determine current levels of trust, sources of land management information, and perceptions of inclusivity in land management decision-making. Using structural equation modeling, I then empirically tested the relationships among these variables. My results showed that residents of Alaska did not trust federal land managers or feel included in the decision-making process. Strengthening residents’ trust in the morality of the decision-making process is likely to increase perceptions of inclusivity. Next, remotely working with residents from Interior Alaska, I studied human-environment interactions and socialization through an online discussion forum that was entitled the ‘Denali Discussion Forum.’ In this project, I qualitatively analyzed the text that was generated through residents’ discussions during the four-week period of the forum. I also segmented residents into three subgroups that were defined by their value orientations. Results suggested that residents with statistically distinguishable individual values followed different avenues in their discussions about the management of natural resources in Alaska. Overall, this thesis provides a foundation for resource managers in Alaska to adopt more inclusive conservation methods by addressing resident concerns and incorporating diverse forms of knowledge into the decision-making process.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Goodson, Devin J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• van Riper, Carena J
• Hauber, Mark E
• Andrade, Riley

• Alaska
• Inclusive conservation
• Protected areas
• Public lands
• Trust
• Social learning
• Social science

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Devin Goodson

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116282

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F116282