Analysis of Public Comments on Experimental Regulations for Protecting Black Bass during The Spawning Period in Eastern Ontario Reveals Both Stakeholder Acceptance and Skepticism.

Recreational angling of nesting largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans) and smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu) can greatly increase nest abandonment, and in the northern clines of their range, decrease recruitment. This is the case in eastern Ontario, where high levels of non-compliance and difficult to enforce regulations have impacted black bass (Micropterus spp.) conservation and management. Effective January 1, 2024 until December 31st, 2025, novel and experimental fishing sanctuaries were imposed on portions of Charleston Lake and Opinicon Lake that prohibit recreational fishing of all types from April 15th to the Friday before the first Saturday in July (encompassing the full bass reproductive season). As part of the formal process to institute these experimental regulations, public comments were collected on the Environmental Registry of Ontario. We examined those comments and identified supportive and non-supportive themes related to these experimental regulations. While a majority of stakeholders were in support of the new regulations, we also noted sub-themes that may hinder regulation acceptance. Those sub-themes include: a perceived lack of enforcement negating the potential benefits of the sanctuaries, under-estimation of the extent of non-compliance with existing regulations such that new regulations are unnecessary, misunderstanding and misinformation, as well as distrust of government and the academic research community. Understanding and addressing these stakeholder perspectives will help researchers studying the new sanctuary areas and managers understand any lack of compliance while informing future decisions about bass management in eastern Ontario and beyond.

Living with wolves: A worldwide systematic review of attitudes.

This systematic review of peer reviewed articles on attitudes towards gray wolves (Canis lupus), shows that attitudes are mainly measured either by mean values of attitudes or by proportional differences in attitudes. This may impact on how attitudes are perceived and interpreted across studies and areas. However, independent of method used, we found that people living in areas where wolves always have existed, are more negative towards wolves compared to people living in areas where there are no wolves, or where wolves have recovered after years of absence. People who express fear, or being directly affected by having wolves, such as farmers and hunters, report more negative attitudes compared to other groups of respondents. For wolf conservation we recommend politicians and management authorities to prepare local societies of the different consequences of living in wolf areas. We recommend using dialogues and conflict management methods to minimize the level of conflicts.

What's in a name? Political and economic concepts differ in social media references to harmful algae blooms.

Policies and management decisions in the marine environment are driven in part by public sentiment which can grow more intense during hazard events like Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs). The public conversations on social media sites like Twitter (before X) reveal the polarized nature of HABs through nuanced language and sentiment. This article uses mixed methods of machine learned topic modeling and inductive qualitative coding to describe the ways the long-term 2017-2019 Karenia brevis "red tide" bloom were politicized across Florida's South West coast. It finds that there are topical differences in keywords related to place (e.g. beach, Florida, coast), agent (individual or organization), and epistemic values (reliance on scientific and/or media reports). These topical differences demonstrate different levels of politicization and partisanship in qualitative analysis. Conceptually, this research demonstrates the ways different dimensions of a long-duration marine hazard can be polarized. Regarding management, this research provides insights to political and organizational stakeholders and the gaps in the discourse shaping marine hazards which can be used to strategically guide future social media engagement to manage politicization. What if all the careful work that resource and environmental managers do can be undone by simple, seemingly uncontroversial words? In an era of increased environmental and marine distress-coupled with short format communication-the ways environmental managers choose their words is crucial, even between ostensibly inconsequential nouns like "red tide" or "algae bloom." Policies and management decisions in the marine environment are driven in part by public sentiment which can grow more intense during hazard events like Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs). The public conversations on social media sites like Twitter (before X) reveal the polarized nature of HABs through nuanced language and sentiment. This article relies on mining social media posts, and uses mixed methods of machine-learned topic modeling and human-driven inductive qualitative coding to describe the ways the long-term 2017-2019 Karenia brevis "red tide" blooms were politicized across Florida's South West coast. It finds that there are topical differences in keywords related to place (e.g. beach, Florida, coast), agent (individual or organization), and epistemic values (reliance on scientific and/or media reports). These topical differences demonstrate different levels of politicization and partisanship in qualitative analysis. Conceptually, this research demonstrates the ways different dimensions of a long-duration marine hazard can be polarized. Regarding management, this research provides insights to political and organizational stakeholders and the gaps in the discourse shaping marine hazards which can be used to strategically guide future social media engagement to manage politicization.

Hunting mode and habitat selection mediate the success of human hunters.

BACKGROUND: As a globally widespread apex predator, humans have unprecedented lethal and non-lethal effects on prey populations and ecosystems. Yet compared to non-human predators, little is known about the movement ecology of human hunters, including how hunting behavior interacts with the environment. METHODS: We characterized the hunting modes, habitat selection, and harvest success of 483 rifle hunters in California using high-resolution GPS data. We used Hidden Markov Models to characterize fine-scale movement behavior, and k-means clustering to group hunters by hunting mode, on the basis of their time spent in each behavioral state. Finally, we used Resource Selection Functions to quantify patterns of habitat selection for successful and unsuccessful hunters of each hunting mode. RESULTS: Hunters exhibited three distinct and successful hunting modes ("coursing", "stalking", and "sit-and-wait"), with coursings as the most successful strategy. Across hunting modes, there was variation in patterns of selection for roads, topography, and habitat cover, with differences in habitat use of successful and unsuccessful hunters across modes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that hunters can successfully employ a diversity of harvest strategies, and that hunting success is mediated by the interacting effects of hunting mode and landscape features. Such results highlight the breadth of human hunting modes, even within a single hunting technique, and lend insight into the varied ways that humans exert predation pressure on wildlife.

Perceptions of Wild Pig Impact, Management, and Policy in Alabama.

Successful management of invasive species often requires working across public and private landownerships. A prime example of an invasive species that commonly occurs on privately and publicly owned and managed lands is the wild pig (Sus scrofa). Because of the multitude of negative impacts associated with wild pigs, management must occur across both private and public lands to achieve widespread control and sustained success. However, managing wild pigs across property boundaries is challenging as we know very little about differing management practices and landowner perspectives. To address this knowledge gap, we sought to understand wild pig management efforts on privately owned lands, the perceived economic, ecological, and human health impact of wild pigs, and beliefs related to policy. Generally, stakeholders believe wild pigs have negative impacts on wildlife, the economy, and ecological and public health, however less than half of landowners participate in wild pig control. Furthermore, stakeholders believe that the responsibility of managing and paying for damages associated with wild pigs lies with individual landowners. Our findings suggest that increased efficacy of wild pig control and collaboration between private and public landowners is not only possible but also necessary if wild pig population control is to be regionally successful.

Perceived Impacts of Wildlife on Agropastoral Food Production in Northern Tanzania.

Human-wildlife interactions can affect human wellbeing and wildlife population persistence. This paper addresses the perceived impacts of wildlife on agropastoral food production in the Tarangire ecosystem of northern Tanzania. It is based on sixteen months of collaborative ethnographic fieldwork with agropastoral Maasai communities (2019-2020; 2022; 2023), 240 semi-structured interviews, and a household survey (n = 1076). People felt that caterpillars, elephants, and zebras had the most significant effects on crop production, while hyenas were responsible for the bulk of livestock depredation by carnivores. These social costs of wildlife merit further attention from conservation policy makers.

Non-linear impacts of harmful algae blooms on the coastal tourism economy.

Harmful algae blooms (HABs) occur in water bodies throughout the globe and can have multi-faceted impacts on tourism. However, little is known of the magnitude of economic losses to the tourism sector as a result of HABs. There is limited understanding of the empirical relationships between HAB intensity and duration, and the effects of this phenomenon on the tourism sector. This study is based in the state of Florida, USA, a notable sun, sand, and sea destination in the western hemisphere, where blooms of a marine harmful algae are a recurrent threat to coastal tourism. The empirical framework is based on a month and county-level panel database that combines sales by tourism-related businesses with observations from the official HAB surveillance system of the state of Florida. We use time and space fixed-effects regressions to estimate the loss in tourism revenue associated with one additional day of red tide. Results indicate that impacts of HABs on tourism do not follow a linear pattern with increasing HAB concentrations, but rather appear to follow an inverted-U pattern. In other words, higher concentrations of the HAB organism do not necessarily imply higher economic losses, suggesting that the impacts of HABs on tourism are not driven solely by the biophysical element of cell density. Rather, these impacts appear to be mediated and amplified by human dimensions. The loss to tourism-related businesses due to the 2018 Florida red tide bloom was estimated to be $2.7 billion USD, which implies that HABs and their impact on tourism can be considered as a potential 'billion-dollar' disaster.

From Conservation to Connection: Exploring the Role of Nativeness in Shaping People's Relationships with Urban Trees.

Deciding whether to plant native or non-native trees in public urban green spaces is becoming complex and conflicted, and decisions purely based on biotic nativeness are likely to be hamstrung as climate change and rising urban heat push many native species beyond their natural ranges. Importantly, tree selection considerations by urban planners and environmental managers will have to move beyond a primary focus on securing conservation and ecological outcomes, to elucidate and engage with a growing interest in the socio-cultural values and services of urban trees. Building on emerging theoretical perspectives, this place-based study explores the role that perceptions of nativeness have in shaping people's relationships with native and non-native urban trees and landscapes in an Australian city. Nativeness was associated with a range of subjective meanings including cultural identity, political expression, nature connection, desirable and undesirable traits, and environmental and cultural compatibility. Our findings emphasise that the ways in which urban trees and green spaces are valued and experienced is likely mediated by people's perceptions of nativeness and its importance relative to other attributes. To provision and sustain green spaces that meet the diverse needs and preferences of urban publics, planners and managers need to elucidate and incorporate the nuanced, place-based and multifaceted subjective meanings of nativeness into urban greening decision-making and practice.

Eurasian beavers in Central Italy: perceptions in the local community.

According to the IUCN guidelines, wildlife reintroduction should consider any impacts on humans within feasibility assessments. Eurasian beavers Castor fiber are recovering across their native range, due to protection laws and reintroductions. In Central Italy, a self-sustaining, naturalised population of Eurasian beavers has been identified in the last five years. A questionnaire to measure whether and how citizens in the local area perceive the presence of the beaver was administered to 1114 respondents. We observed a comprehensive awareness of the presence of the beaver in Italy and a high ability to distinguish it from non-native coypus Myocastor coypus (92.3%). We also recorded a general high knowledge of issues related to the presence of the beaver (i.e., potential effects on indigenous biodiversity). The majority (65.5%) of the surveyed population was in favour of reintroducing the beaver in Central Italy, and only 1.2% was firmly against it. The majority of interviewed people was against the removal of beavers from Central Italy (65.8%), whereas only 3.7% was in favor, citing fears of perceived impacts on the river, crops, and fish populations.

Exploring the emergence of a tipping point for conservation with increased recognition of social considerations.

Despite a common understanding of the harmful impacts of Western conservation models that separate people from nature, widespread progress toward incorporating socioeconomic, political, cultural, and spiritual considerations in conservation practice is lacking. For some, the concept of nature-based solutions (NbS) is seen as an interdisciplinary and holistic pathway to better integrate human well-being in conservation. We examined how conservation practitioners in the United States view NbS and how social considerations are or are not incorporated in conservation adaptation projects. We interviewed 28 individuals working on 15 different such projects associated with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund. We completed 2 rounds of iterative coding in NVivo 12.6.1 to identify in the full text of all interview responses an a priori set of themes related to our research questions and emergent themes. Many respondents saw this moment as a tipping point for the field (one in which the perceived values of social considerations are increasing in conservation practice) (76%) and that social justice concerns and the need to overcome racist and colonial roots of Western conservation have risen to the forefront. Respondents also tentatively agreed that NbS in conservation could support social and ecological outcomes for conservation, but that it was far from guaranteed. Despite individual intention and awareness among practitioners to incorporate social considerations in conservation practice, structural barriers, including limited funding and inflexible grant structures, continue to constrain systemic change. Ultimately, systemic changes that address power and justice in policy and practice are required to leverage this moment to more fully address social considerations in conservation.

Exploración del surgimiento de un punto de inflexión para la conservación con el incremento del reconocimiento de las consideraciones sociales Resumen A pesar de que se conoce el impacto dañino de los modelos occidentales de conservación que separan a las personas de la naturaleza, aun faltan avances para la incorporación de las consideraciones socioeconómicas, políticas, culturales y espirituales dentro de la práctica de la conservación. Hay quienes consideran el concepto de soluciones basadas en la naturaleza (SbN) como una vía interdisciplinaria y holística para integrar de mejor manera el bienestar humano en la conservación. Analizamos cómo los conservacionistas de los EE. UU. perciben a las SbN y cómo se incorporan o no las consideraciones sociales en los proyectos de conservación y adaptación. Entrevistamos a 28 individuos que trabajan en 15 de estos proyectos asociados con el Fondo de Adaptación al Clima de la Wildlife Conservation Society. Completamos dos rondas de codificación iterativa en NVivo 12.6.1 para identificar a priori un conjunto de temas relacionado con nuestras preguntas y temas nacientes dentro del texto completo de las respuestas a la entrevista. Muchos de los respondientes (76%) consideraron este momento como un punto de inflexión para el campo de investigación (uno en el que están incrementando los valores percibidos de las consideraciones sociales en la práctica de la conservación) y que las cuestiones de justicia social y la necesidad de sobreponerse a las raíces racistas y colonialistas de la conservación occidental han dado un paso al frente. En principio, los respondientes también acordaron que las SbN en la conservación podrían respaldar los resultados sociales y ecológicos para la conservación, pero que no era algo cercano a ser una garantía. A pesar de la intención y conciencia individual de los conservacionistas para incorporar a las consideraciones sociales dentro de la práctica de la conservación, las barreras estructurales, incluyendo el financiamiento limitado de las estructuras poco flexibles de los subsidios, todavía restringen el cambio sistémico. Finalmente, se necesitan cambios sistémicos que aborden el poder y la justicia en las políticas y las prácticas para potenciar este momento para tratar plenamente las consideraciones sociales en la conservación.

Drivers of support for citizen science across state wildlife management agencies in the United States.

Citizen science (CS) is gaining recognition as a valuable approach to meet data needs for environmental projects while fostering collaboration between scientists and members of the public. Despite increasing implementation of CS by natural resource entities, organizations' motivations for engaging in CS remain poorly understood. We examined the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social exchange theory (SET) in identifying factors influencing support of CS by scientific organizations. To test predictions of the TPB and SET theories, we surveyed (quantitative, web based) state wildlife agency staff in the United States on their perceptions of organizational engagement in CS. We divided questions that measured TPB items into individual and organizational components to address the influence of personal- and organization-level decision-making on staff perceptions and attitudes. We used structural equation modeling to identify key constructs that influence staff support of CS in state wildlife agencies. The survey yielded 627 responses across 44 states. Both TPB and SET constructs accurately predicted staff support of CS; however, measures from SET (e.g., public engagement benefits and costs of CS to scientific credibility) were most influential (i.e., TPB constructs had less impact). Our findings indicate that organizational support for CS is primarily influenced by assessment of trade-offs among perceived costs and benefits. Indicators of support for CS were further elucidated by including measures from the TPB model. Based on our results, we suggest that natural resource entities give careful consideration to CS project design, develop thorough communication and data management plans, and practice iterative evaluation of CS project productivity.

Impulsores del apoyo a la ciencia ciudadana entre las agencias estatales de gestión de fauna en los Estados Unidos Resumen Cada vez se reconoce más a la ciencia ciudadana (CC) como una estrategia valiosa para cumplir con las necesidades informativas de los proyectos ambientales, a la vez que promueve la colaboración entre los científicos y el público. Aunque es cada vez mayor la implementación de la CC por parte de las entidades de recursos naturales, todavía hay poca información sobre la motivación de las organizaciones para participar en la CC. Analizamos la utilidad de la teoría del comportamiento planeado (TCP) y la teoría del intercambio social (TIS) en la identificación de los factores que influyen sobre el apoyo de las organizaciones científicas a la CC. Sondeamos (cuantitativamente y en línea) al personal de las agencias estatales de los Estados Unidos sobre sus percepciones de la participación organizacional en la CC para evaluar las predicciones de ambas teorías. Dividimos las preguntas que medían los objetos de la TCP en componentes individuales y organizacionales para abordar la influencia de la toma de decisiones a nivel personal y organizacional sobre las actitudes y percepciones del personal. Usamos modelos de ecuación estructural para identificar los constructos clave que influyen sobre el apoyo a la CC por parte del personal de las agencias estatales de fauna. El sondeo aportó 627 respuestas de 44 estados. Los constructos de ambas teorías pronosticaron correctamente el apoyo a la CC por parte del personal; sin embargo, las medidas de la TIS (por ejemplo, los beneficios de la participación del público y los costos de la CC en la credibilidad científica) tuvieron la mayor influencia (los constructos de la TCP tuvieron un menor impacto). Nuestros resultados indican que el apoyo organizacional hacia la CC está influenciado principalmente por la valoración de las compensaciones entre los costos y beneficios percibidos. Los indicadores del apoyo a la CC se esclarecieron más con la inclusión de las medidas del modelo de la TCP. Con base en nuestros resultados, sugerimos que las entidades de recursos naturales consideren cuidadosamente el diseño de proyectos de CC, desarrollen una comunicación minuciosa y planes de manejo de datos y practiquen la evaluación iterativa de la productividad de los proyectos de CC.

Public attitudes towards venomous and non-venomous snakes.

Snakes are integral components of ecosystems, being both predators and prey. They also provide valuable ecosystem services to people, such as rodent control, bushmeat, and leather goods. Although these positive services have been recognized, people are generally wary of snakes, because some species possess and release venom to immobilize prey. Therefore, understanding peoples' attitudes towards non-venomous and venomous snakes would be critical for their successful conservation. We carried out on-site face-to-face surveys with Greek residents (n = 897) to study their attitudes towards non-venomous and venomous snakes using a nine-statement attitudinal instrument. Survey participants had higher mutualism than domination wildlife value orientation and could more correctly identify the venomosity of venomous than non-venomous snake species. Factor analysis determined two general attitudes: tolerance and conservation. Participants were intolerant of snakes, while they generally supported their conservation, for both non-venomous and venomous species. However, their attitudes were more positive towards non-venomous than venomous snakes. Mutualism was a positive predictor of tolerance and conservation for non-venomous snakes, but only of conservation for venomous snakes. Domination was a negative predictor of conservation for both venomosity groups. Knowledge of snake venomosity was a positive predictor of tolerance and conservation for non-venomous snakes, and a negative predictor of tolerance for venomous snakes. Our findings not only indicated that the pubic differentiated attitudes towards snakes based on their venomosity but also, importantly, allowed for determining groups holding positive or negative attitudes towards snakes based on wildlife value orientations and the ability to evaluate snake venomosity. Such information further indicated that successful education and outreach plans should be venomosity and public group specific, aiming at increasing the pro-conservationist attitudes towards snakes, especially of those domination-oriented and unable to distinguish non-venomous from venomous snakes, thus promoting and ultimately securing the future survival of these controversial animals.

Perceptions of Social Network Influence: Key Players' Insights Into Power, Conflict, and Collaboration at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Conflict among stakeholders is a familiar challenge to natural resource managers and researchers. Fostering trust and collaboration among diverse stakeholder groups is, therefore, a primary goal for natural resource conservation. One tool often used to understand stakeholder relationships and to foster collaborative conservation is social network analysis (SNA), a method that identifies patterns in social relationships among members of a population using networks and graph theory (Scott 2017). Through an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, this study applied SNA to better understand social dynamics among six stakeholder groups associated with Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats (Bonneville; USA). We sought to (1) build social network models (i.e., sociograms) depicting Bonneville-related social interactions among stakeholders, (2) identify potentially influential individuals (i.e., key players) in Bonneville's stakeholder network; and engage these key players in (3) 'member-checking' social interaction trends gathered during the data collection year, and (4) discussing perceptions of their network's influential social dynamics. Sharing SNA data and sociograms through semi-structured qualitative interviews with key players verified four seasons' worth of social interaction trends within and among Bonneville stakeholder groups. These conversations also evoked key players' reflection on social power dynamics, social network evolution, the influence of research into the Bonneville social network, and introspection about social connections therein. These emergent themes support applying SNA and qualitative interviews with key players in natural resource social networks to yield valuable information for managers who seek to foster collaboration while avoiding or abating resource-related conflict among stakeholder groups.

Big data from a popular app reveals that fishing creates superhighways for aquatic invaders.

Human activities are the leading cause of biological invasions that cause ecologic and economic damage around the world. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are often spread by recreational anglers who visit two or more bodies of water within a short time frame. Movement data from anglers are, therefore, critical to predicting, preventing, and monitoring the spread of AIS. However, the lack of broad-scale movement data has restricted efforts to large and popular lakes or small geographic extents. Here, we show that recreational fishing apps are an abundant, convenient, and relatively comprehensive source of "big" movement data across the contiguous United States. Our analyses revealed a dense network of angler movements that was dramatically more interconnected and extensive than the network that is formed naturally by rivers and streams. Short-distanced movements by anglers combined to form invasion superhighways that spanned the contiguous United States. We also identified possible invasion fronts and invaded hub lakes that may be superspreaders for two relatively common aquatic invaders. Our results provide unique insight into the national network through which AIS may be spread, increase opportunities for interjurisdictional coordination that is essential to addressing the problem of AIS, and highlight the important role that anglers can play in providing accurate data and preventing invasions. The advantages of mobile devices as both sources of data and a means of engaging the public in their shared responsibility to prevent invasions are probably general to all forms of tourism and recreation that contribute to the spread of invasive species.

Down the Rabbit Hole: Domestic Rabbit Owners' Perceptions of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a highly contagious pathogen that infects wild and domestic rabbits and hares (lagomorphs). Globally, RHDV2 has resulted in substantial economic losses for commercial rabbit trade and caused wild lagomorph population declines. Previous research on RHDV2 suggests that human-mediated movement of rabbits may contribute to the spread of RHDV2. We conducted the first survey of individuals who own or interact with domestic rabbits to identify their rabbit husbandry behaviors and knowledge of, and concerns about, RHDV2. In 2021, we surveyed 1807 rabbit owners, breeders, and rescue staff in the USA. Respondents had a high level of knowledge about RHDV2. Respondents believed RHDV2 posed a high risk to rabbit-related activities and were concerned about its economic and ecological impacts. Nearly half of respondents always kept their rabbits indoors, but 10.7% of respondents allowed their rabbits outside frequently on properties used by wild lagomorphs. Respondents with five rabbits or less were generally willing to vaccinate their rabbits, but respondents with larger herds argued that vaccines were cost prohibitive. Given respondents' concerns about RHDV2, communication about disease prevention should highlight the adverse ecological and economic consequences of RHDV2.

Renewed coexistence: learning from steering group stakeholders on a beaver reintroduction project in England.

Species reintroductions are growing in popularity, and example motivations include supporting species populations or the restoration of ecosystem function. Interactions between humans and the reintroduced species are likely to occur post-reintroduction. Coexistence between humans and wildlife is adaptive and dynamic, in part requiring management of conflicts between humans and wildlife, or of conflicts between humans over wildlife management. We seek to learn from the experiences of steering group members in a Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) project in England and identify how governance of coexistence with reintroduced species may differ from the governance of coexistence with species that are already present in the landscape. Using a qualitative thematic analysis of an online survey, we identify a series of lessons in six key areas: (1) project governance, (2) stakeholder engagement, (3) research and monitoring programme, (4) strategy to manage arising conflicts, (5) public engagement, and (6) broad perspectives on reintroduction trials. We advocate for reflective evaluation as an essential component of reintroduction projects to enable knowledge-sharing from experiences, leading to improved practices in the future. Reflecting on our analysis, we identify and define 'Renewed Coexistence'-a new term that draws on pre-existing coexistence knowledge but identifies the unique elements that relate to governing coexistence with reintroduced species. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10344-021-01555-6.

Power, politics, and culture of marine conservation technology in fisheries.

The term conservation technology is applied widely and loosely to any technology connected to conservation. This overly broad understanding can lead to confusion around the actual mechanisms of conservation in a technological system, which can result in neglect and underdevelopment of the human dimensions of conservation technology. Ultimately, this hinders its effectiveness as technological fixes for conservation problems. Through a process of concept mapping based on key case studies and literature, I devised precise definitions of marine conservation technology and technological marine conservation system. Concerns about the use of marine conservation technologies included unintended consequences, halfway technologies that address the symptoms but not the causes of problems, and misguided techno-optimism (i.e., technology is a panacea that can solve any problem). Technology and technological systems can have power, politics, and culture, and these characteristics can influence the contextual fit of a technology, requiring that technology be thoughtfully created or adapted to the circumstances in which it will be used. Power, politics, and culture inherent in technology can also influence the distribution of conservation risks and benefits and potentially widen gaps in wealth, privilege, opportunities, and justice. Addressing these concerns can potentially be achieved through the better integration of social sciences in marine conservation technology and technological marine conservation system design and development and the application of the social-ecological-technological systems framework. This framework melds key concepts from the socioecological systems framework and science and technology studies. It recognizes as and elevates technology to be a central actor that can shape societies and the natural world. Such a framework incorporates broader understanding, so that the values and concerns of society are more effectively addressed in the creation and implementation of marine conservation technologies and technological marine conservation systems.

Poder, Política y Cultura de la Tecnología de Conservación Marina en las Pesquerías Resumen El término tecnología de la conservación es aplicado extensa y ligeramente a cualquier tecnología vinculada a la conservación. Este concepto excesivamente generalizado puede resultar en una confusión en torno a los mecanismos actuales de conservación incluidos en los sistemas tecnológicos, lo que puede llevar al descuido y subdesarrollo de las dimensiones humanas que tiene la tecnología de la conservación. Como última instancia, esto obstaculiza su efectividad como arreglo tecnológico para los problemas de conservación. Construí las definiciones precisas de tecnología de conservación marina y sistema tecnológico de conservación marina mediante un proceso de mapeo de conceptos basado en estudios importantes de caso y en la literatura. Las inquietudes en cuanto al uso de la tecnología de conservación marina incluyen las consecuencias accidentales, tecnología a medias que aborda los síntomas, pero no la causa de los problemas y tecno-optimismo mal dirigido (es decir, la tecnología es una panacea que puede resolver cualquier problema). La tecnología y los sistemas tecnológicos pueden tener poder, políticas y cultura, y estas características pueden influir sobre el ajuste contextual de la tecnología, lo que requiere que la tecnología sea creada o adaptada cuidadosamente a las circunstancias en las que será utilizada. El poder, las políticas y la cultura inherentes a la tecnología también pueden influir sobre la distribución de los riesgos y beneficios de la conservación y pueden potencialmente ampliar las brechas en la riqueza, el privilegio, las oportunidades y la justicia. La solución a estas inquietudes puede lograrse potencialmente por medio de una mejor integración de las ciencias sociales a la tecnología de la conservación marina y al diseño de sistemas tecnológicos de conservación marina y por medio del desarrollo y aplicación del marco de trabajo de los sistemas socio-ecológicos-tecnológicos. Este marco de trabajo combina conceptos clave tomados del marco de los sistemas socio-ecológicos con aquellos de los estudios científicos y tecnológicos. También reconoce y eleva a la tecnología como un actor central que puede moldear a las sociedades y al mundo natural. Dicho marco incorpora una comprensión más amplia, de tal manera que los valores e inquietudes de la sociedad se abordan de manera más efectiva durante la creación e implementación de las tecnologías de la conservación marina y los sistemas tecnológicos de conservación marina.

Participatory Development Process of Two Human Dimension Intervention Programs to Foster Physical Fitness and Psychological Health and Well-Being in Wildland Firefighting.

Intervention programs designed, delivered, and evaluated by and within organizations are a critical component in the promotion of employee health and well-being and in the prevention of occupational injury. Critical for transference of findings across complex occupational settings is a clearly articulated development process, a reliance on and evaluation of underlying theoretical foundations, and the inclusion of relevant outcomes emerging out of participatory action processes. To date, there have been no documented efforts outlining the development, implementation, or evaluation of human dimension intervention programs targeting wildland firefighters. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of two collaborative and participatory intervention programs, targeting wildland firefighters' physical and psychological health and well-being. Two human dimension intervention programs were developed in a collaborative, iterative and participatory process following the Context-Content-Process-Outcomes Framework. First, a physical fitness training intervention program was designed to maintain wildland firefighter's physical fitness levels and attenuate risk of injury. Second, a psychosocial education intervention program was developed to mitigate the impact of psychosocial risk factors, foster work engagement, and decrease job stress. The current study provides evidence for the capacity of researchers and organizations to collaboratively develop practical programs primed for implementation and delivery.

Motivators and barriers to adoption of Improved Land Management Practices. A focus on practice change for water quality improvement in Great Barrier Reef catchments.

To protect and improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef, the Queensland Government's Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan targets that 90% of sugarcane, horticulture, cropping and grazing lands in priority areas be managed using best management practices for sediment, nutrient and pesticides by 2025. Progress towards this target is insufficient and variable across catchments and industries. The motivation to adopt improvements in management practices is heavily influenced by social, economic, cultural and institutional dimensions. In this paper we synthesise the literature on how these human dimensions influence decision making for land management practice and highlight where future investment could be focussed. We highlight that focussing on -1) investigating systems to support landholder decision making under climate uncertainty (risk); 2) generating a better understanding of the extent and drivers of landholder transaction cost; 3) understanding if there are competing 'right' ways to farm; and 4) improving understanding of the social processes, trust and power dynamics within GBR industries and what these means for practice change- could improve practice change uptake in the future.

Evaluating outcomes of conservation with multidimensional indicators of well-being.

Many conservation interventions are hypothesized to be beneficial for both the environment and people's well-being, but this has rarely been tested rigorously. We examined the effects of adoption or nonadoption of a conservation intervention on 3 dimensions of people's well-being (material, relational, and subjective) over time. We focused on a fisheries bycatch management initiative intended to reduce environmental externalities associated with resource extraction. We collected panel data from fishers (n = 250) in villages with (adopters and nonadopters) and without (control) the conservation intervention 3 times over 2 years. We found no evidence that adoption reduced any of the 3 dimensions of well-being in the local populations affected by the intervention. There were modest improvements in material (t = -1.58) and subjective livelihood well-being (p = 0.04) for adopters relative to nonadopters over time. The variations in well-being experiences (in terms of magnitude of change) among adopters, nonadopters, and controls across the different domains over time affirmed the dynamic and social nature of well-being.

Evaluación de los Resultados de la Conservación mediante Indicadores Multidimensionales de Bienestar Resumen Se plantea que muchas intervenciones de conservación son benéficas tanto para el ambiente como para el bienestar de las personas, pero esto rara vez ha sido analizado rigurosamente. Examinamos los efectos de la adopción o no adopción de una intervención de conservación sobre tres dimensiones del bienestar de las personas (material, relacional, subjetivo) a lo largo del tiempo. Nos enfocamos en la iniciativa de manejo de la captura accesoria de una pesquería cuya intención es reducir las externalidades asociadas con la extracción de recursos. Recolectamos datos de panel de los pescadores (n = 250) en aldeas con (adoptantes y no adoptantes) y sin (control) la intervención de conservación tres veces durante dos años. No encontramos evidencia de que la adopción redujera cualquiera de las tres dimensiones del bienestar en las poblaciones locales afectadas por la intervención. Con el tiempo, notamos que hubo mejoras modestas en el bienestar de sustento material (t = −1.58) y subjetivo (p = 0.04) para los adoptantes en comparación con los no adoptantes. Las variaciones en las experiencias de bienestar (en cuanto a la magnitud del cambio) entre los adoptantes, no adoptantes y los controles a lo largo de los diferentes dominios a través del tiempo reafirmaron la naturaleza dinámica y social del bienestar.