Understanding landowner decisions regarding access to private land for conservation research

Abstract

Private land comprises over half the land mass of the United Statesdominating certain ecosystems and hosting large numbers of threatened and endangered species. Understanding privately owned properties is thus critically important to conservation, yet these lands remain understudied by conservation biologists. A key factor in this lack of research is the difficulty of gaining permission to access private lands. However, there has been almost no empirical work to offer guidance for natural scientists on this issue. Using a combination of mail surveys and interviews, we undertook one of the first empirical studies of landowner decisions regarding access to their private property for research, and we identified the primary drivers and deterrents. We found that natural scientists may have more success gaining access if the landowners are interested in learning about the research taking place, if they have previously allowed research on their property, if they have positive attitudes toward conservation, and if they have larger properties. We also found that many landowners allowed research out of a desire to be helpful. Conversely, landowners are less likely to allow research if they are concerned that doing so will restrict free use of their property. Landowner age, education, trust in sci-

Private landowners perceive positive impacts to their land stewardship following involvement in a conservation research program

“…At the conclusion of the study researchers could provide landowners with study results in lay terms and suggestions for where they could find technical support if interested in implementing changes on their properties based on results. Sharing research findings with landowners is a best practice when conducting research on private lands; however, researchers often neglect to share their findings with landowners (O'Brien et al, 2021). Furthermore, research studies may take several years to complete and consistent contact is needed in order to maintain a working relationship with landowners (Hilty & Merenlender, 2003).…”

“…Strong science communication skills may increase a program's influence on landowner conservation behavior engagement. One method programs may employ this to follow a three‐pronged approach described in O'Brien et al (2021). Prior to visiting the property program researchers could share information about a research study's aims and plans for how the research will be implemented on the property with the landowner.…”

“…Furthermore, certain characteristics of a conservation research program may influence landowner conservation behavior outcomes. Direct interactions with researchers have been shown to influence landowners' engagement in conservation behaviors (Lutter et al, 2018; O'Brien et al, 2021) and researchers may directly interact with landowners through one‐on‐one conversations (Lutter et al, 2018), sharing research findings (Hilty & Merenlender, 2003), or participating in community discussions (Graham & Rogers, 2017). Peer interactions may also influence landowners' conservation behaviors (Graham & Rogers, 2017; Niemiec et al, 2019) by establishing social norms surrounding conservation behaviors (McKiernan, 2018).…”

Citizen Scientist Participation in Research on Private Lands Positively Impacts Multiple Conservation Behaviors

“…Following the first round of coding, the codebook and code definitions were discussed with a co-author to confirm their clarity and utility. The lead author then performed a second round of coding to ensure that all open-ended responses were coded with the full list of codes (as in O'Brien et al 2021).…”