Green Volunteers in the Spotlight
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Wessel Ganzevoort Wessel Ganzevoort Green volunteers in the spotlight Green volunteers Green volunteers in the spotlight Understanding action for nature through studying citizen scientists and other nature volunteers WESSEL GANZEVOORT COVER PLANO DEF.indd 1 01-02-2021 13:30 Green Volunteers in the Spotlight Understanding action for nature through studying citizen scientists and other nature volunteers Wessel Ganzevoort Green Volunteers in the Spotlight Green Volunteers in the Spotlight Understanding action for nature through studying citizen scientists and other nature volunteers Proefschrift Colofon Author: Wessel Ganzevoort ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor Cover: The Oak King by Emily Balivet aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen Lay-out: Luc Dinnissen, studio ds op gezag van de rector magnificus prof. dr. J.H.J.M. van Krieken, Printed by: DPN Rikken (Nijmegen) volgens besluit van het college van decanen ISBN: 978-94-640-2724-2 in het openbaar te verdedigen op Ganzevoort, W. (2021). Green volunteers in the spotlight: Understanding action for dinsdag 16 maart 2021 nature through studying citizen scientists and other nature volunteers. Doctoral disser- om 16.30 uur precies tation, Radboud University. door © W.B. Ganzevoort, 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in Wessel Bote Ganzevoort any form by any means without permission from the author. geboren op 18 oktober 1991 We have done our utmost to contact Emily Balivet, the copyright holder of the art- te Utrecht work on the cover. If this book comes to her attention, we ask her to contact us at [email protected]. 3 Green Volunteers in the Spotlight “I almost altered my title to ‘The love and study of the living bird in nature’, but reflected than in the eyes of a number of ornitholo- gists, the use of the word ‘love’ would be unscientific. So I compro- mised with ’knowledge’, secure in the assurance that love of the object to be known always contributes to a wider knowledge, and that study without love tends to sterility. I also want to stress the importance of the amateur: and this ap- proach does justice to his role, for by etymology, the amateur is one who loves his subject for its own sake.” From the essay titled ‘The British contribution to our knowledge of the living bird’ (Huxley, 1959, p. 103) Promotoren Dr. R.J.G. van den Born Prof. dr. M.N.C. Aarts Manuscriptcommissie Prof. dr. R.P.B. Foppen (Voorzitter) Dr. A.E. Buijs (Wageningen University & Research) Prof. dr. L.C.P.M. Meijs (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam) Paranimfen Bernadette van Heel Wim Bosschaart 4 5 Chapter 1 | Introduction | 9 1.1 Setting the scene: Voluntary action for nature | 10 1.2 The importance of understanding action for nature | 11 1.3 Debates surrounding green volunteering | 14 1.4 Research goal and questions | 26 1.5 Methodological design | 30 1.6 Outline | 37 Chapter 2 | Literature review | 41 2.1 The ‘what’ of biodiversity citizen science and green volunteering | 42 2.2 The ‘who’ of biodiversity citizen science and green volunteering | 58 2.3 The ‘why’ of biodiversity citizen science and green volunteering | 63 Chapter 3 | Sharing biodiversity data: Citizen scientists’ concerns and motivations | 75 3.1 Introduction: A different perspective on citizen scientists | 77 3.2 Materials and methods | 82 3.3 Results | 84 3.4 Discussion: What drives biodiversity recorders? | 88 3.5 Implications: Another way of thinking about citizen scientists | 92 Appendix A | 95 Chapter 4 | The thrill of discovery: Significant nature experiences among biodiversity citizen scientists | 97 4.1 Introduction | 99 4.2 Methodology | 101 4.3 Results | 103 4.4 Methodological reflection | 110 4.5 Conclusions | 111 Chapter 5 | Counting bees: Learning outcomes from participation in the Dutch National Bee Survey | 115 5.1 Introduction | 117 5.2 Methods | 122 5.3 Results | 125 5.4 Discussion | 134 5.5 Conclusion | 136 Appendix B | 138 7 Green Volunteers in the Spotlight Chapter 6 | Understanding citizens’ action for nature: The profile, motivations and experiences of Dutch nature volunteers | 141 6.1 Introduction | 143 6.2 Methods | 147 6.3 Results | 150 6.4. Discussion and implications | 159 Appendix C | 165 Appendix D | 166 Chapter 7 | The everyday reality of nature volunteering: An empirical exploration of reasons to stay and reasons to quit | 169 7.1 Introduction | 171 7.2 Data and methods | 177 7.3 Results | 179 7.4 Discussion | 184 1 7.5 Conclusions | 186 Chapter 8 | Synthesis | 189 Introduction 8.1 Synthesis of the results | 190 8.2 Main conclusions and implications for theory | 195 8.3 Implications for practice | 203 8.4 Recommendations for future research | 214 Coda: EnviroCitizen | 219 References | 221 Research data management | 253 Summary | 257 Samenvatting | 262 Dankwoord | 267 About the author | 273 8 9 Green Volunteers in the Spotlight Chapter 1 | Introduction 1.1 Setting the scene: Voluntary action for nature and Portuguese volunteers with the aim to plant 25 million acorns to combat de- sertification and deforestation (MED-O-MED, 2019). As Sloane and Pröbstl-Haider On the 7th of November 2019, the Dutch National Database Flora and Fauna (2019, p. 158) succinctly note, ‘Volunteers have always been the foundation of na- (NDFF) celebrated the milestone of gathering 150 million validated observations ture conservation’. (Feskens, 2019). The goal of the NDFF is to unite dispersed flows of data on Dutch plants and animals, and through validation and standardization work towards en- Of course, behind all these impressive achievements are people. People with differ- hanced opportunities for interpreting these data (NDFF, n.d.). Natural history or- ent backgrounds, varying motivations, and divergent experiences that all influence ganisations1 such as Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology and Dutch Butterfly how they relate to their volunteering. One illustration from Dutch natural history is Conservation are crucial partners in this endeavour, as these organisations are key the story of friar Willibrordus, who passed away in 2019. For almost twenty years, researchers and custodians of biodiversity data in the Netherlands. Natural histo- he contributed observational data to the phenological research project Nature’s ry organisations in turn are strongly dependent on volunteers, who dedicate their Calendar, and did so practically every week over the telephone (Van Vliet, 2019). His time and effort to observing nature and recording and sharing these observations. data on blooming plants in the monastic garden are highly valuable for research purposes. However, his story is also a vivid tale of motivations to take action for Nature volunteers play a crucial role beyond natural history as well. Whether it is nature: about one man’s personal connection to nature, a love for flowers and getting people of all ages to experience the natural environment and teaching them butterflies, curiosity and excitement about patterns and changes in nature, and a about flora and fauna, helping landscape managers plant trees or remove invasive desire to learn and to teach (Van Vliet, 2019). species, or the coordination, communication and administration of volunteering projects and neighbourhood initiatives: citizens’ voluntary action for nature2 is of This is what drives the research brought together in this thesis: a wish to under- crucial importance. This is neither a recent nor an exclusively Dutch phenomenon. stand why people take action for nature. As such, the first question we ought to Miles et al. (1998, p. 28) noted more than 20 years ago that nature restoration ini- ask ourselves is: Why is it important to understand action for nature? This is the tiatives in Illinois ‘would not be carried out if it were not for volunteers’, with their starting point for the next section. efforts corresponding to an estimated monetary value of over $2.5 million over a five-year period. Just to offer one recent example, in the spring of 2020 the Great Iberian Acorn project (la Gran Bellotada Ibérica) engaged thousands of Spanish 1.2 The importance of understanding action for nature 1 Throughout this thesis, I will use both the term ‘natural history organisations’ and ‘spe- Threatening news about biodiversity loss rears its head constantly, warning of a cies organisations’ to refer to the Dutch ‘soortenorganisaties’, which are professional or- global defaunation wave (Dirzo et al., 2014) or even a sixth mass extinction event, ganisations focussed on the collection, validation and curation of observation data on flora the latest since the dinosaurs (and many other species) were wiped out around 66 and fauna. In the Netherlands, these organisations have a specific taxonomic focus, share million years ago (Barnosky et al., 2011). Researchers have also detected popula- a dedication to both research and conservation, and tend to rely strongly on volunteers for recording and submitting biodiversity data. The term PGO (‘Particuliere gegevensbeherende tion declines within species, furthering concerns of ecosystem collapse (Rosenberg organisatie’, or ‘Private Data-managing Organisation’) is also used for these organizations et al., 2019). Such worrying news also extends to their habitats; Brooks et al. (2002) (Lawrence & Turnhout, 2010). highlight how especially areas rich in biodiversity (so-called ‘hotspots’, such as 2 In this thesis, I understand action for nature as those actions that directly concern biodi- versity, nature restoration or maintenance, nature or wildlife education, and advocacy, coor- tropical forests) are under severe threat. A Dutch example is the recent Living Planet dination and administration in nature-oriented projects and organizations. As such, while Report (Wereld Natuur Fonds, 2020), which highlights severe losses in agricultural broader pro-environmental behaviours (such as recycling campaigns, pollution mitigation landscapes especially: population sizes of associated species demonstrated aver- or energy saving) can sometimes be one component of these actions, I focus here on those age reductions of almost 50% since 1990 (p.