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SummaryThe anthropogenic spread of disease from captive to wild amphibian populations (referred to as spillover) is linked to global amphibian declines. Disinfecting procedures and protocols exist to mitigate pathogen transmission to and within natural areas, but understanding of visitor attitudes and behaviour regarding their adoption is limited. We surveyed visitors in two natural areas in a global amphibian biodiversity hotspot to assess their attitudes regarding pathogen spread in such areas and analysed the factors influencing their behavioural intentions to take specific actions to prevent pathogen spillover. Visitors’ willingness to take action was influenced by their attitudes, behavioural control and trust in wildlife/land managers, whereas socio-demographic characteristics were less influential. These findings help us to understand visitor behaviour with respect to amphibian biosecurity in natural areas and inform enhanced biosecurity measures and strategic messaging to reduce pathogen spillover.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis), an invasive nonnative beetle, is responsible for the mortality of ash trees in the eastern and midwestern United States. Despite efforts to contain this beetle through various control options, human-induced spread of EAB has caused damage to ash forests in many states. Because most ash trees are under private ownership, it is important to understand how landowners evaluate the risk of EAB and perceive the effectiveness of various control options. A mail survey of private forest landowners was conducted in Kentucky in 2020 to assess their awareness and perception of various control options of EAB infestation. Results from this survey suggest that landowners are concerned about EAB and the associated increased risks, reduced quality of scenic views, and increased cleanup costs. Landowners experiencing EAB infestation believed that EAB management needs collective actions and that current efforts by government agencies are not sufficient. However, few landowners are taking actions themselves to manage EAB on their property. These findings shed light on the extent to which landowners are concerned about EAB impact and emphasize the need for development of effective control options and outreach programs to increase landowner engagement and actions in EAB control and management.

Native ash species in the central hardwood region of the United States have been threatened by infestations of emerald ash borers (EAB), which have caused significant damage to the forests’ ecological and economic value. Because private landowners own most of these forestlands, their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are important in managing EAB effectively across the landscape. We conducted a mail survey of landowners in Kentucky, where EAB are spreading across the state and causing variable levels of damage depending upon how long they have been established, and assessed whether and how psychosocial and demographic factors help explain the landowner’s behavioral intention to manage EAB on their property. The results of an ordinal logistic regression model, grounded in a modified theory of planned behavior framework, suggested that severity of risk perception, knowledge about management options, importance of economic objectives, and perceived group efficacy were related positively to landowners’ intention to manage EAB. These findings shed light on landowners’ perspective of EAB’s effects and the role of psychosocial factors in their motivation to adopt EAB control options.Study Implications: Landowners’ active participation can be critical in managing EAB effectively in privately owned forests. This study found that landowners’ management intentions depended on their perception of EAB risks, knowledge of EAB prevention, and perceived cooperation among landowners. Raising awareness of EAB threats, educating landowners on the control options available, and promoting collaborative approaches to combat EAB at the regional scale can help increase landowners’ participation in EAB management. Taking a collaborative approach is important to address such transboundary problems as EAB infestations because such an approach ensures that relevant agencies will provide landowners with continuous legal, technical, and financial support.

Deer hunting is a major forest-based recreation activity in the US South. However, the recent discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) threatens deer hunting in the region. Stakeholders are interested in understanding how hunters perceive the risk and change their hunting behavior. This study found a significant change in hunters’ concerns after the first deer season since the discovery of CWD in Tennessee, USA. Results also showed that hunters’ short- and long-term intentions to hunt deer in the region were positively related to previous experience of hunting in CWD-affected areas, beliefs in the effectiveness of herd reduction to control CWD, concerns regarding potential decline in deer quality and changes in hunting regulations due to CWD, and trust in wildlife agency action. Hunters who hunt on public land and were concerned with deer and human health risk were less likely to hunt in the CWD region. These results are useful in understanding hunter behavior in response to wildlife disease and identifying variables that may help project immediate as well as long-term change in hunting demand in affected regions.

There is a growing recognition that students in forestry and other natural resource management programs need an understanding of natural resource policy to become well-versed natural resource professionals. As such, instructors need to find creative ways to draw student interest in course content, which students may view as peripheral to their core professional interests. Experiential learning activities can help students engage with course content, increase student motivation and confidence, and develop professional skills. They can also be beneficial in policy courses to encourage civic engagement outside of the classroom. This study assessed student’s attitudes and perceptions about various experiential learning activities conducted in an undergraduate natural resource policy course. Data was collected from an online retrospective survey of student reflections after completion of the course. Results indicate a positive influence of experiential learning activities on student learning and likelihood of future participation in the policy process.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a neurological disease affecting white-tailed deer has been found in many states including Tennessee. To design effective CWD management programs, stakeholders includ...

Tournament fishing is growing in the United States and around the world (Detmer et al., 2020). Participation in tournament fishing may allow anglers to compete in fishing derbies and advance their ...

Droughts and water demand for competing uses such as municipal supply, nature-based recreation, and fisheries have added challenges in lake management. Sustaining the benefit of nature-based recreation at public lakes requires understanding the economic significance of water resources used for nature-based recreation and its sensitivity to water levels. By using the case of Canton Lake, a municipal water source and regional recreation hotspot in Oklahoma, this study characterizes the economic value of recreation use under normal water conditions and attempts to project a lower bound estimate of the reduction in visitor welfare due to municipal drawdown or drought. This was achieved by combining on-site visitor survey data with a truncated negative binomial regression model to estimate the non-market value of recreation access at Canton. Aggregation of the benefit across the visitor population yielded $8.4 million in the total economic value of recreation access at Canton. Survey responses on contingent behavior indicated that the welfare impact of a potential reduction in water level due to municipal drawdown could be as high as $4.6 million. Findings suggest the importance of water level for visitation and the economic value of nature-based recreational use at a rural lake. It also highlights the enormity of the impact that managers may anticipate from a decline in visitation due to drawdown or drought. Stakeholders including conservation groups, lake managers, recreation user groups, and regional economic planners may find this information useful in advocating for conservation, negotiating water rights, and balancing between uses (i.e. consumption and nature conservation) at Canton and other similar lakes.

Nonmotorized boating (NMB) is a popular recreation activity in the US National Forest System. Previous studies on NMB were from an individual river or site, which limited aggregating benefit across the system or generalizing to rivers across the country. Further, whether and how site and river characteristics affect the use of rivers for NMB activities are unknown. This study combined trip data collected from visitor surveys across the system with spatially explicit data on river characteristics in a travel cost model, and in the analysis step, characterized the economic benefit of NMB access and evaluated the effect of site and river characteristics. Net economic benefit of NMB access was estimated to be in the range of $56 to $73 per trip, depending on the modeling assumptions used. When aggregated across visits over the country, the total annual economic value of NMB access in National Forest System ranged from $92 million to $120 million. Results further suggest that site and river characteristics including water velocity, ramp availability, and rapid level were significantly related to NMB demand. Results may be useful in highlighting the use and public value of NMB access in rivers and in understanding the importance of site and river characteristics.

Economic valuation can aid decision-makers in justifying the costs of conservation programs like wildlife reintroductions. Factors like stakeholder trust and confidence in conservation professional...

SummaryWildlife reintroduction projects often face resistance from local residents who see potential conflicts with the species or lack trust or confidence in the agencies and professionals involved in reintroduction. Yet the linkages between trust, confidence, risk perceptions, attitudes towards the species and local support for its reintroduction are not well known. The Dual-Mode Model of Cooperation and Cognitive Hierarchy Model were theoretical frameworks used to shed light on these linkages by exploring the potential roles trust and confidence play as mediators between risk perceptions and attitudes towards, and support for, reintroduced elk in Tennessee (USA). A mail survey of 1005 residents living in the five-county area surrounding the North Cumberland Elk Restoration Zone assessed resident attitudes and risk perceptions towards the reintroduced elk, trust towards the managing wildlife agency and support for continued conservation efforts. A structural equation model revealed that trust and confidence play positive roles in mitigating risk perceptions and improving support for the reintroduction of elk. The findings confirm the roles public trust and confidence play in wildlife reintroductions and should help agencies work towards building local trust and confidence, minimizing risks, improving attitudes and increasing the chances for successful outcomes for the species and people.

Long-term success of wildlife restoration programs depends on their potential to bring economic benefits to stakeholders. Because of the non-market nature of some benefits (e.g., wildlife viewing),...

Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) provide recreational opportunities to a diverse set of recreationists sharing the same resources to meet similar or opposing objectives. Encounters between members ...

Recent trends show declining participation in consumptive outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. A factor contributing to this trend is a decline in per capita participation among certain ...

Many land-grant institutions with agriculture and natural resource programs in the United States offer online courses to meet student demand. The goal of this study was to understand how major educ...

Sustaining public support for new and existing protected areas including wildlife management areas (WMA) requires demonstrating whether and how protected areas can bring economic benefit to local s...

Insufficient funding is a major impediment to conservation efforts around the world. In the United States, a decline in hunting participation threatens sustainability of the “user‐pay, public benefit” model that has supported wildlife conservation for nearly 100 years, forcing wildlife management agencies to contemplate alternative funding strategies. We investigated support for potential funding options among diverse college students, a rapidly expanding and politically active voting bloc with a potentially powerful influence on the future of conservation. From 2018 to 2020, we surveyed 17,203 undergraduate students at public universities across 22 states. Students preferred innovative approaches to conservation funding, with 72% supporting funding derived from industry sources (e.g., natural resource extraction companies), 63% supporting state sources (e.g., general sales tax), and 43% supporting conventional user‐based sources such as license fees and excise taxes associated with outdoor recreation activities (e.g., hunting). Findings emphasize the need to broaden the base of support for conservation funding and highlight the importance of considering the preferences and perspectives of young adults and other diverse beneficiaries of wildlife conservation.

Prescribed burning is a widely used tool in forest and grassland management. However, because fire that escapes from a prescribed burn accidentally may cause property damage, injuries, and even human casualties, purchasing insurance to cover such damages may be beneficial for prescribed burn practitioners. Given that insurance coverage for prescribed fire is recently emerging, factors that determine burners’ decisions to purchase such insurance are largely unknown. On the basis of data from a survey of prescribed burn practitioners in 14 southern and midwestern states, we modeled prescribed burners’ likelihood of purchasing insurance with respect to demographic characteristics, land management objectives, and importance placed on regulatory compliance and land use practices. Results suggest that prescribed burn practitioners are more likely to obtain such insurance if they are landowners themselves or have a written prescribed burn plan. Age of respondents and the level of importance they place on compliance with environmental laws also had a significant positive effect on the likelihood of obtaining insurance coverage. Respondents were less likely to purchase insurance if their land management objective was to control invasive plants or they considered the availability of lower-cost alternatives for woody plant removal an important factor in deciding whether or not to conduct prescribed burns. These findings shed light on underlying factors influencing insurance coverage for prescribed burning and are potentially beneficial for promoting the acquisition of insurance among burn practitioners.

Family forest landowners in the United States have diverse ownership and management objectives. Assessing and monitoring regional patterns and trends in landowner motivations and management behavior may aid in understanding the conservation and economic implications of social change. This paper presents a regional analysis of family forest landowners in the southern United States by combining a GIS-based exploratory data analysis with spatially explicit information on landowner motivations and management behavior data obtained from the U.S. Forest Service National Woodland Owners Survey (NWOS). Results reveal that spatial autocorrelation was present in motivations reflecting tangible and pecuniary benefits (e.g. timber, investment, hunting), but not in motivations reflecting intangible and non-pecuniary benefits (e.g. privacy, beauty). Statistically significant clusters of landowners with similar motivations and management behaviors (i.e., hotspots/coldspots) were identified using local indicators of spatial association and visualized in a series of maps to discuss their policy and management implications. The findings are useful in understanding regional variations as well as concentrations in landownership motivation, management activities, and will guide stakeholders in locating areas of interest for conservation planning, strategic marketing, and education and outreach.

Growing public demand for cleaner technologies and alternative energy sources has challenged the sustainability of traditional industries like coal mining. Public support for mining in rural communities may depend partly on how local residents perceive its impacts on their well-being. Nonetheless, community perceptions of and attitudes toward mining have received limited empirical attention. This study surveyed long-term residents of predominantly mining counties in eastern Kentucky to assess how residents perceive environmental change and subjective well-being relative to mining activities and how the perceived impacts of mining and their confidence in reclamation influence their support for public policies regulating surface mining. While residents noted some changes in natural environment conditions over the years, mining operations were not perceived as responsible factor for those changes. We also found that surface mining currently enjoys overwhelming public support, mainly because local residents view mining as part of their community identity and are skeptical about environmental concerns relative to the benefit mining brings. Occupation in mining, perceived past impact, and future risk were all negatively related to subjective well-being. Support for regulations to stop surface mining in the region was significantly impacted by perceived risks and benefits, confidence in reclamation efforts, attitudes toward the mining industry, and trust in local institutions. Considering the ongoing policy debates surrounding cleaner technology and concerns for economic growth in rural areas, this study provides insights on community perception and acceptability of surface mining that will inform policy making and regional development planning in southern Appalachia and similar regions.

Wild hogs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive, non-native species quickly gaining ground on private, as well as public, lands in Tennessee and much of the United States. Wildlife management personnel may benefit from assessing stakeholders’ views towards various management options to control and eradicate wild hogs. A statewide mail survey of 5000 randomly selected landowners in Tennessee counties known to have wild hogs yielded 1620 completed responses (33% response rate). Using this dataset, an index of potential for conflict among landowner groups was computed for each of eleven management options, which varied from leaving the wild hogs alone, to both lethal and non-lethal options. Results indicate varying levels of potential for conflict depending on hunter status, wild hog hunter status, presence of wild hogs on land, percent of income derived from land, and amount of land damage caused by wild hogs. Overall, three management options including leaving the wild hogs alone, allowing sale of wild hogs, and capturing and relocating were found unacceptable whereas many other options including capturing and killing, providing technical assistance to landowners and educating people on preventing damage were found to have high level of acceptability and most consensus among landowner subgroups. Findings will be useful in understanding how support for wild hog control options vary across population segments, and which options are likely to see more or less resistance from certain landowners.

Mountain ecosystems are considered vulnerable to early impacts of climate change. Whether and how local residents of these areas perceive these changes, however, remain under-studied questions. By conducting a household survey in the Khumbu region of Nepal, this study assessed local residents’ experience-based perception of changes in climate trends and patterns, perceived risk, and attitudes towards climate issues. Multivariate cluster analysis based on residents’ climate change beliefs revealed three segments: “Cautious,” “Disengaged,” and “Alarmed.” A comparison of these segments along key psychosocial constructs of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) revealed significant inter-segment differences in residents’ perception of severity, vulnerability, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and response cost associated with engaging in mitigating behavior. Results shed light on how residents of high elevation areas that are considered to be exposed to early impacts of climate change perceive the risk and intend to respond. These findings could also assist stakeholders working in other similar mountain ecosystems in understanding vulnerability and in working towards climate readiness. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01369-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Achieving sustainable management of forests in China is becoming increasingly important with more awareness and realization of the importance of forests in environmental protection. Forest certification, a market-based instrument to promote sustainable forest management, has been recognized by many countries including China. While landowners&rsquo, perception and perspective regarding this voluntary program have been well-documented in the literature, how to motivate and incentivize landowners to participate in forest certification remained understudied questions. With the face-to-face survey of landowners in Shandong, China, this study analyzed landowners&rsquo, willingness to accept compensation for participating in forest certification. Results indicated that the average accepted compensation in terms of increased timber price was about RMB 120 (~USD 17.6)/m3 to have their forests enrolled in certification programs. Results from multiple regression showed that the level of such compensation required for participation in certification was influenced by forestland size, owner demographics, certification-program requirements, and importance placed on timber production. These findings would inform policy-makers in designing compensation-related policies and establish incentive-based mechanisms to motivate forest landowners to participate in forest certification programs in China.

With increasing competition and rising operational costs, golf course managers are focusing on innovative approaches that can help attract and retain visitors. Therefore, understanding economic rationale for landscape improvement can help managers to prioritize operational budget. The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of golfers' repeated visitation to public golf courses and understand economic rationale for aesthetic quality improvement in public golf facilities. We surveyed golf course visitors at Lakeside Memorial Golf Course, a municipal facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Study results suggest that golfers' frequency to revisit was positively influenced by prestige of the facility and course design. The willingness to pay (WTP) estimates, which accounted for respondent's maximum propensity to pay above already paid green fees, for winter turfgrass enhancements were about two times higher than their estimated costs. Study results suggested landscape improvement strategies and provided several recommendations to golf course management.

Promoting the sustainable agricultural practices at an individual farm level is essential to ensure agricultural sustainability. This study analyzed whether and how various factors related to farm or farmers' characteristics influence the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices. We used a negative binomial regression model to fit the data collected from a mail survey of farmers in Kentucky, USA. Our results showed that the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices varied significantly among agricultural districts in Kentucky. Farmers who grew row crops, had irrigation facilities, and were in favor of crop diversification were significantly more likely than their respective counterparts to adopt more sustainable agriculture practices. Similarly, having a college education and participating in the Tobacco Buyout Program also positively and significantly affected the intensity of adopting sustainable agriculture practices among Kentucky farmers. In contrast, a lack of adequate knowledge about sustainable farming and an unfamiliarity with technology significantly and negatively related to less adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.

To determine the diverse motivations of eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunters, a self-administered questionnaire was developed and mailed to a sample of 5,000 licensed turkey hunters in Tennessee (response rate = 36%). A cluster analysis yielded three types of respondents in terms of their hunting motivations: social harvesters (44%), experiential harvesters (22%), and social outdoor enthusiasts (34%). Hunters in these segments were then analyzed to compare their support for various hunting regulations. While 61% of Tennessee eastern wild turkey hunters reported to be satisfied with current regulations, harvest-motivated hunters were less receptive to regulations that would limit season lengths or bag limits while socially motivated hunters were more accepting. The hunter groups did not differ in their preference for decentralizing regulations by management zones. Findings from this article may guide wildlife managers in designing socially acceptable regulations.

Forest certification is considered a viable market-based strategy for promoting sustainable forest management by providing landowners with financial incentives and social recognition for responsible forest practices. In China, it is an issue of international as well as domestic concern, especially considering the magnitude of country’s wood exports. To examine landowners’ perceived barriers to and interests in forest certification in China, we conducted a landowner survey in Shandong province in 2016 and analyzed whether and how landowners’ ownership motivations, management objectives, sociodemographics, and perceptions about benefits and drawbacks associated with certification schemes influenced their willingness to participate in certification programs. Results indicate that the majority of landowners in Shandong province are not currently familiar with forest certification programs but are willing to consider participating when provided with pertinent information. There may be a potential market for certification programs in China with appropriate outreach and extension. In addition, landowners’ willingness to participate in certification programs is significantly affected by the expected benefits and limitations associated with certification schemes, landownership motivation, management objectives, and characteristics of the forestland and households. Findings will be useful to institutions and policy makers interested in understanding and promoting the market for forest certification in China and other developing countries with similar circumstances.

Annually, 23 million recreationists participate in downhill skiing on over 180,000 acres of skiable land in the U.S. National Forest system, making it the second most popular outdoor activity in the system. While the emerging literature on climate science reveals changing climatic conditions in ski areas, the extent of climate change impact on the demand for and economic value of downhill skiing is unknown. By combining trip data collected from on-site surveys of skiers in national forests across the nation with climatic data collected through nearby weather stations, this study developed an aggregated travel cost model to estimate the net economic benefit of downhill skiing and snowboarding, and the projected impact of climate change on the demand and value. Per person per trip net economic benefit of downhill skiing was estimated to be in the range of $91 to $185 depending on the assumptions about skiers’ opportunity cost of time. When aggregated across visits and national forests, the total economic value of downhill skiing in the U.S. National Forest system ranged from $2.16 to $4.39 billion, annually. Climate variables including temperature, snow depth, and rainfall were correlated with ski demand, and projected changes in these climate variables could affect the economic benefits from skiing. Findings contribute to understanding the net economic benefit of maintaining downhill skiing on national forests, and will help recreation planners and tourism entrepreneurs develop adaptive strategies to sustain the skiing industry. Subscribe to JPRA

Wild pigs are a free-ranging invasive species capable of inflicting significant damage on rural property. Wildlife management personnel may benefit from understanding the negative societal impact of wild pigs. A statewide mail survey of randomly selected landowners was conducted in rural Tennessee counties known to have wild pigs. The economic value of damage caused by wild pigs in 2015 in these counties was estimated at $26.22 million, whereas the cost incurred in control and eradication was $2.09 million. Input-output modeling of damage in these counties on the state’s economy showed $32.8 million in lost industrial output, $4.6 million in lost labor income, and 332 jobs or job equivalents affected. Findings are useful in understanding the types of damage, and the extent of these impacts on the rural economy. They could also facilitate comparing the expected benefit with the cost of control programs in Tennessee and comparable areas facing similar invasions from wild pigs.

Modeling and projecting timber supply requires a good understanding of how supply responds to price. The price elasticity of supply (PELS) reported in the literature varies greatly, indicating that conclusions regarding price signaling in the timber market are mixed. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the key factors associated with the heterogeneity of PELS of primary timber product supply by examining data from numerous studies conducted around the world. Twelve “moderator” variables were examined to explore differences in PELS. Moderators with significant impacts on variation of PELS included forest products, geographic regions, econometric models, and data type. Furthermore, two-level categorical variables contained within the econometric models including standing stock were found to have significant influence on the heterogeneity of PELS. Variation in PELS also depended on whether or not the supply models accounted for price inflation, and the time period when the study was...