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Perceived threat from traditional command-and-control implementation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act has resulted in the underprovision of endangered species habitat on private lands. Voluntary incentive programs aid recovery by reducing landowner costs and increasing benefits; however, program efficacy is directly related to participation. I used the reasoned action framework to examine landowner attitudes and beliefs about participating. Using data from a mail survey of Texas landowners, I employed two seldom-used methods (structure coefficients and commonality analysis) to enhance explanation from a regression of attitudes on behavioral beliefs. Two of eight measured beliefs (beneficial outcomes for an individual's land and for the target species) accounted for the majority of the variation in attitude. Landowner concerns about future regulations and technical assistance contributed least to attitude. Results provide program administrators with necessary information to create targeted messages to increase participation and thus enhance program efficacy. The use of structure coefficients and commonality analysis highlighted relationships with the greatest explanatory power, as well as those that would have been otherwise missed or marginalized. I recommend these methods be employed in all reasoned-action studies analyzed using multiple regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private landowners play a pivotal role in determining whether or not rare species persist in regions where privately owned land is extensive. The range of the gopher tortoise ( Gopherus polyphemus) is confined to the Southeastern U.S., a region predominantly under private ownership, and thus the status of this species is largely dependent upon land management decisions made by private landowners. We sent an anonymous mail survey to 2,584 individuals to examine factors affecting gopher tortoise occurrence on private lands in Mississippi (adjusted response rate of 23%). Few respondents (19%) reported currently having tortoises on their property, although many had them in the past (30%). Tortoises were persisting primarily on larger properties with longleaf pine that were not managed chiefly for timber production. In general, respondents were largely unaware of habitat requirements of tortoises or effects of various land management practices on them, and few reported using management techniques that benefit tortoises, such as prescribed burning. Most respondents (57%) knew of wildlife incentive programs, but were hesitant to enroll because they did not want to commit to managing their property in a particular manner (34%). We suggest actions that could improve the likelihood of tortoise persistence in this region, as well as changes that could be made to incentive programs to increase landowner participation. These suggestions should be relevant to the conservation of other rare species on private lands in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, voluntary incentive programs that aid conservation of plant and wildlife species on private lands provide a structural solution to the problem of protecting endangered species by reducing costs and enhancing benefits to landowners. We explored the potential for incentives to encourage landowners to manage land cover for the benefit of endangered songbirds in central Texas (U.S.A.) by asking landowners to indicate their preferences for financial incentives, technical assistance, and regulatory assurances. We identified owners of potential songbird habitat and collected data in face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires. We used a latent-class stated-choice model to identify 3 classes of landowners whose choices varied on the basis of their attitudes and perceived social norms: (1) strong positive attitude, perceived social pressure to participate, and willing to participate with relatively few incentives, (2) weak positive attitude, perceived no social pressure to participate, and required strongest incentives, and (3) negative attitude, perceived social pressure not to enroll, and unwilling to participate regardless of incentive structure. Given this heterogeneity in preferences, conservation incentives may increase management of land cover to benefit endangered species on private lands to some degree; however, exclusive reliance on incentives may be insufficient. Promoting conservation on private lands may be enhanced by integrating incentives into an approach that incorporates other strategies for conservation, including social networks and collaborative processes that reinforce social norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated landowners' interests in enrolling in a hypothetical incentive program targeting endangered species recovery. Using data from structured interviews and s-urveys, we employed the reasoned action framework to predict landowners' behavioral intentions to enroll in a hypothetical program designed to provide habitat for two endangered songbirds in central Texas. Landowners with positive attitudes toward enrolling and who shared the program's land management objectives had the greatest intention to enroll. Additional behavioral indicators improved prediction and highlight the importance of incorporating landowner management goals into program design. Results suggest that the inclusion of ancillary measures of behavior can improve prediction of multi-attribute behaviors under the theory of reasoned action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]