Butterfly Citizen Science Projects Support Conservation Activities among their Volunteers

Eva J. Lewandowski; Karen S. Oberhauser

doi:10.5334/cstp.10

Butterfly Citizen Science Projects Support Conservation Activities among their Volunteers

Authors

Eva J. Lewandowski Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Upper Buford Circle, 135 Skok Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108; Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Upper Buford Circle, 135 Skok Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108
Karen S. Oberhauser Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Upper Buford Circle, 135 Skok Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.10

Keywords:

conservation education, pro-environmental behavior, public participation in scientific research, engagement

Abstract

Citizen science has the potential to provide participants with information about conservation issues and to encourage additional conservation actions. In this case study, we describe the current state of conservation education among butterfly citizen science projects in the United States. To determine the extent to which these citizen science projects are promoting an understanding of, and engagement in, conservation among their participants, we used an online questionnaire to census project leaders and assessed their websites for the presence of educational conservation information. We found that the majority (91%, n = 22) of butterfly citizen science projects in the United States include a conservation focus, and that they are educating their participants about key conservation threats and action strategies. Many are also using personal appeals, behavioral incentives, and the social interactions among participants to encourage their participants to engage in butterfly conservation outside the project. We found room for improvement on educating participants, especially about indirect conservation opportunities such as financial donations and outreach activities. We also suggest more widespread and effective use of project websites to disseminate conservation information.

Author Biography

Eva J. Lewandowski, Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Upper Buford Circle, 135 Skok Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108; Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Upper Buford Circle, 135 Skok Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108

PhD Candidate in Conservation Biology, studying the education and conservation outcomes of citizen science participation

Downloads

Published

2016-05-20

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Research Papers

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms. If a submission is rejected or withdrawn prior to publication, all rights return to the author(s):

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Submitting to the journal implicitly confirms that all named authors and rights holders have agreed to the above terms of publication. It is the submitting author's responsibility to ensure all authors and relevant institutional bodies have given their agreement at the point of submission.

Note: some institutions require authors to seek written approval in relation to the terms of publication. Should this be required, authors can request a separate licence agreement document from the editorial team (e.g. authors who are Crown employees).