Identity Processes and Support for Biodiversity

Conservation

Giuseppe Carrus

18th iaps Conference Wien, 7-10 July 2004

Dipartimento di Psicologia dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione

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Biodiversity conservation and protected areas

• Protected areas: main tool for coping with biodiversity loss

• Major barrier to protected areas: opposition of local communities

• Worthy issue for EP: studying social psychological factors driving support/ opposition to protected areas

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 3

Biodiversity conservation and protected areas

• Protected areas: main tool for coping with biodiversity loss

• Major barrier to protected areas: opposition of local communities

• Worthy issue for EP: studying social psychological factors driving support/ opposition to protected areas

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 4

Biodiversity conservation and protected areas

• Protected areas: main tool for coping with biodiversity loss

• Major barrier to protected areas: opposition of local communities

• Worthy issue for EP: studying social psychological factors driving support/ opposition to protected areas

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 5

Support/opposition for protected areas

3 domains of social psychological research

• Environmental concern

• Commons dilemmas

• Identity processes

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 6

Support/opposition for protected areas

3 domains of social psychological research

• Environmental concern

• Commons dilemmas

• Identity processes

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 7

Support/opposition for protected areas

3 domains of social psychological research

• Environmental concern

• Commons dilemmas

• Identity processes

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 8

Support/opposition for protected areas

1 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN

The diffusion of pro-environmental attitudes should lead to generalized support for of protected areas

2 SOCIAL DILEMMAS

Dilemmas upon natural resources exploitation should lead to opposition for protected areas

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 9

Support/opposition for protected areas

1 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN

The diffusion of pro-environmental attitudes should lead to generalized support for of protected areas

2 SOCIAL DILEMMAS

Dilemmas upon natural resources exploitation should lead to opposition for protected areas

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 10

Identity and opposition to protected areas

2 recent empirical studies

S. Stoll-Kleemann, JEP 2001Group processes encouraging social identity + resource dilemmas as major barriers to protected areas in Germany

Bonaiuto et al., JOEP 2001Negative correlations between regional identification & local attachment and support for protected areas in Italy

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 11

Identity and opposition to protected areas

2 recent empirical studies

S. Stoll-Kleemann, JEP 2001Group processes encouraging social identity + resource dilemmas as major barriers to protected areas in Germany

Bonaiuto et al., JOEP 2002Negative correlations between regional identification & local attachment and support for protected areas in Italy

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 12

Identity and support for protected areas

• Recent empirical evidence: high place-identity (Uzzell et al., E&B 2002) predicts pro-env conducts

• The status of “protected area” should enhance the distinctiveness of a place

• PIT and SIT: high-identifiers tend to favor their in-place or in-groups, as long as they provide optimal distinctiveness

• Stoll-Kleeman’s and Bonaiuto et al.’s studies dealt with top-down designated protected areas: what if there is more local involvement?

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 13

Identity and support for protected areas

• Recent empirical evidence: high place-identity (Uzzell et al., E&B 2002) predicts pro-env conducts

• The status of “protected area” should enhance the distinctiveness of a place

• PIT and SIT: high-identifiers tend to favor their in-place or in-groups, as long as they provide optimal distinctiveness

• Stoll-Kleeman’s and Bonaiuto et al.’s studies dealt with top-down designated protected areas: what if there is more local involvement?

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 14

Identity and support for protected areas

• Recent empirical evidence: high place-identity (Uzzell et al., E&B 2002) predicts pro-env conducts

• The status of “protected area” should enhance the distinctiveness of a place

• PIT and SIT: high-identifiers tend to favor their in-place or in-groups, as long as they provide optimal distinctiveness

• Stoll-Kleeman’s and Bonaiuto et al.’s studies dealt with top-down designated protected areas: what if there is more local involvement?

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 15

Identity and support for protected areas

• Recent empirical evidence: high place-identity (Uzzell et al., E&B 2002) predicts pro-env conducts

• The status of “protected area” should enhance the distinctiveness of a place

• PIT and SIT: high-identifiers tend to favor their in-place or in-groups, as long as they provide optimal distinctiveness

• Stoll-Kleeman’s and Bonaiuto et al.’s studies dealt with top-down designated protected areas: what if there is more local involvement?

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 16

Main research question

Which is the role of local identification in driving people response to protected

area designation?

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General contextProtected area designated by local institutions in 1997 (Regional Administration & Sardinian Mining Agency)

Aim of protecting and recovering old extraction sites abandoned since mining industry crisis

Local communities involved since early phases of the park designation

St 1- The Geominerarian Park of Sardinia

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AimsAssessing the role of env concern, general attitudes toward protected areas & regional identification in predicting support for the Geominerarian Park

HypRegional identification positively predicts support for the specific park independently of the other attitude measures

St 1- The Geominerarian Park of Sardinia

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Participants:316 Sardinian residents balanced for socio-demo characteristics

Measures:Self-administered questionnaire, Likert scales adapted from previous studies

St 1- The Geominerarian Park of Sardinia

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Measure Cronbach’s

1. environmental concern (6 NEP scale items) .47

2. attitudes toward parks in general .86

3. regional identity (F1 – empowerment) .78

4. regional identity (F2 – pride) .64

5. support for the specific park .91

St 1 – scale reliability

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SUPPORT FOR SPECIFIC PARK

gender

residence

environmental concern

regional empowerment

Regional pride

attitudes parks in general

age

St 1 – Multiple regression

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gender

residence

environmental concern

regional empowerment

regional pride

attitudes parks in general

age

St 1 – Multiple regression

n.s.

n.s.

n.s.

n.s.

n.s.

.14

.46

SUPPORT FOR SPECIFIC PARK

R2 = .25

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General context & measures: Similar to St #1

Participants: 157 subjects

Aims & Hyp: Confirming results of St #1

Analyses : Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

St 2 - The Archaeological Park of Gravina

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St 2 – scale reliability

Measure

1. environmental concern (complete NEP scale) .67

2. attitudes toward parks in general .82

3. regional empowerment .77

4. regional pride .78

5. support for the specific park .93

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St 2 – SEM with latent variables

.42

.30

.64

.35

2 (86) = 131.7 p = .001 RMSEA = .06

NNFI =.94 SRMR = .08 CFI = .95

ATTITUDES PARKSIN GENERAL

.87

.68

.79

SUPPORT FOR SPECIFIC PARK

.92

.90

.90

ENVIR CONCERN

.87

.87

.87

REGIONALPRIDE

.87

.87

.87

REGIONALEMPWRMNT

.87

.87

.87

N = 141

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Concluding remarks

Increasing support for Hyp across St #1 & St #2 > reliability - more explained var. - bigger effect size

Strong local identity positively predicts support for specific parks

Need of involving local communities via inclusive and participatory deliberation

Future studies: testing causal relations through experimental designs (e.g. manipulating identity salience; using scenarios)

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 27

Concluding remarks

Increasing support for Hyp across St #1 & St #2 > reliability - more explained var. - bigger effect size

Strong local identity positively predicts support for specific parks

Need of involving local communities via inclusive and participatory deliberation

Future studies: testing causal relations through experimental designs (e.g. manipulating identity salience; using scenarios)

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 28

Concluding remarks

Increasing support for Hyp across St #1 & St #2 > reliability - more explained var. - bigger effect size

Strong local identity positively predicts support for specific parks

Need of involving local communities via inclusive and participatory deliberation

Future studies: testing causal relations through experimental designs (e.g. manipulating identity salience; using scenarios)

G. Carrus - 18th iaps Conference - Wien, 7-10 Jul 2004 29

Concluding remarks

Increasing support for Hyp across St #1 & St #2 > reliability - more explained var. - bigger effect size

Strong local identity positively predicts support for specific parks

Need of involving local communities via inclusive and participatory deliberation

Future studies: testing causal relations through experimental designs (e.g. manipulating identity salience; using scenarios)