Evolving life experiences and underlying psychological drivers throughout life stages of environmental volunteers

Abstract

Research on environmental volunteering suggests that nature bonding is crucial to promoting citizen engagement. However, predominant research on volunteers’ initial motivations overlooks the creation of bonds between people and nature over time. To understand the nature bonding from a temporal perspective, this article examines significant life experiences of volunteers of a self-organised citizen-based river group in Barcelona Metropolitan Region. Through a qualitative study involving 25 interviews with members of this group, different types of significant life experiences (formative and reinforcing) and associated psychological drivers (others-oriented, place-oriented and self-oriented) are identified. Maturation and interaction of experiences and drivers throughout volunteers’ life stages determines the evolution of self-nature bonding, that starts unconsciously and becomes conscious and complex, leading to place attachment and moral commitment. The shift from mere identification of volunteers’ initial motivations to a holistic understanding of their bonds with nature over time provides insights for promoting the self-organisation of citizen-based groups that can play a significant role in collaborative environmental governance.