Présentation du webinaire
PARTICIPANTS
Katie Sainsbury, Ph.D.
University of Alberta
Howie Harshaw, Ph.D.
University of Alberta
Peter Schuhmann
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Carly Sponarski
Canadian Forest Service
OVERVIEW
Understanding of peoples' preferences for bird and habitat conservation can help to foster the NAWMP's relevancy and realise Goal 3: "Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation." Discrete choice experiments (DCE) are an economics-based method used to quantify preferences (McFadden 1974) by exploring the relative importance of different factors that people consider when making decisions. In this study, we surveyed Canadians to find out about their willingness to donate to different conservation programs based on their preferences for different habitat types, bird conservation characteristics, habitat location, and quantity of habitat that might be conserved. In total, 2578 respondents completed the DCE during November and December, 2022. We combined preference data with information about respondent socio-demographic characteristics and habitat value orientations. Location (in or out of province) was an important determinant of donation amounts and conservation of natural habitats was preferred to agricultural contexts. Bird species that are at risk of extinction or widespread but declining were preferred to species of cultural importance. Through the data, we identified four types of conservationists in Canada. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for the NAWMP and other conservation practitioners seeking to engage with the Canadian public.
