By Julie Whitburn and Danielle Shanahan

Humane trap and bait station used to control rats and mustelids in Wellington, New Zealand. Photo Credit: Julie Whitburn

This Plain Language Summary is published in advance of the paper discussed. Please check back soon for a link to the full paper.

Across the globe, local communities play a crucial role in restoring natural spaces in cities. We wanted to understand why people became involved in urban environmental restoration, why they stayed involved, and what benefits they gained from participating.

We studied a city-wide introduced-predator eradication initiative in Wellington City, New Zealand. We surveyed 311 Wellington residents to understand if the value people put on their relationship with nature was related to participating in local predator control initiatives. We also wanted to know whether participating as part of a local environmental group made any difference to their experience.

Over 86% of people had participated in predator control at one time or another, most for at least two years. On average, people invested 2-3 hours per month of their time. People who most strongly valued their relationship with nature were more likely to participate in predator control and were more likely to keep at it in the longer term than those who put less value on their relationship with nature. About half the people in our survey worked as part of a community group. People who volunteered in a community group devoted more time and reported greater commitment to predator control than those who were not part of a group.

Alongside the value people placed on their relationship with nature, they were motivated to participate because they cared for the environment and wanted to build social connections. They also wanted to escape the pressures of daily life and get some exercise. People gained a sense of satisfaction from being involved and felt more of a connection to the area where they worked.

Our findings demonstrate that when people value their relationship with nature, they are likely to be motivated to care for nature. We also found that people’s motivations to participate and the benefits they gained varied. Community conservation groups could use this information to make environmental volunteering a mutually beneficial experience for the natural environment and for the people participating. For example, by fostering a sense of community among the people who participate.