Willingness of rural and urban citizens to undertake pollinator conservation actions across three contrasting European countries

Abstract

Over the last two decades, ecological and conservation studies on pollinator insects have increased significantly. However, scientific evidence alone is not enough to translate knowledge into policy and into changes in behaviour. To reduce the gap between scientific knowledge on conservation actions and their actual uptake, one should understand the socio‐psychological drivers of people's willingness to undertake these actions. Here, we investigated the socio‐psychological factors influencing individual behaviour in favour of conservation interventions for pollinators in rural versus urban environments across three European countries: Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. We administered an online questionnaire to 4541 respondents stratified by nationality, environment, age and gender. Despite regional differences in socio‐cultural and economic conditions, individuals from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands living in both rural or urban environments shared similar socio‐psychological drivers to protect pollinators. People intended to take action to protect pollinators when they felt morally obliged to, when their social environment supported pollinator protection, when they believed their individual behaviour had an impact, and when they engaged frequently in outdoor activities. Interestingly, specific values held towards pollinators, such as their right to exist, seemed much more important predictors of activating norms that promote conservation actions compared to increasing general environmental concern. In all countries, among the conservation actions, the most likely to be implemented was planting flowers, while one of the most unlikely was participating in monitoring activities. Synthesis and applications. People from three contrasting European countries living in both rural and urban landscapes were mostly driven by the same socio‐psychological factors to help pollinator insects. Therefore, our results offer several practical recommendations to promote pollinator conservation across Europe. First, conservation practitioners interested in pollinator conservation should pay greater attention to values specific to pollinators, as they seemed more important behaviour predictors than general care for the environment. Second, engaging people in conservation efforts can be accomplished by increasing awareness about the vital roles that pollinators play within ecosystems. Lastly, promoting simple nature‐based activities such as wildlife observation, and gardening can help foster a sense of connection to and appreciation for pollinators and pollination. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.