TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding preferences for nature's contributions to people between and within social actors sheds insights for inclusive conservation

AU - Gross, Milena

AU - Mwampamba, Tuyeni Heita

AU - Sanya, John

AU - Pearson, Jasmine

AU - Sesabo, Jennifer

AU - Martín-López, Berta

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). People and Nature published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Despite calls for wider inclusion of diverse actors in conservation management, researchers tend to lump actors together into one group, potentially overlooking heterogeneity within the groups themselves—in turn, hampering inclusiveness. The risk of stereotyping social actors and oversimplifying their differentiated preferences for Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) can, however, be addressed by better understanding the NCP preferences of multiple actors and within the same group, simultaneously strengthening justification for more inclusive conservation. Using a sociocultural approach, we conducted 261 face-to-face surveys in the social–ecological system of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to examine the preferences for 25 context-specific NCP of and within three groups of social actors: nature conservationists (n=50 respondents), tour guides (n=55) and tourists (n=156). We compared NCP preferences between and within the three groups and explored how socio-demographic attributes and interaction with nature drive NCP preferences. We found that NCP preferences of actors in the conservation–tourism nexus were highly diverse and distinct between them. Including the voices of all actors in conservation management would ensure that conservation efforts meet the needs of multiple actors. Furthermore, additional heterogeneity existed within actor groupings: the level of formal education and interaction with nature both influence NCP preferences, suggesting that broad-brushed assessments of a social actor's needs from nature can be misleading. We conclude that unpacking between- and within-group NCP preferences of actors can reduce the risk of stereotyping and oversimplifying social actors in scientific results. Such a research approach also fosters more inclusive conservation by accounting for plural needs from nature, particularly if distinct between and within social actor groups. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

AB - Despite calls for wider inclusion of diverse actors in conservation management, researchers tend to lump actors together into one group, potentially overlooking heterogeneity within the groups themselves—in turn, hampering inclusiveness. The risk of stereotyping social actors and oversimplifying their differentiated preferences for Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) can, however, be addressed by better understanding the NCP preferences of multiple actors and within the same group, simultaneously strengthening justification for more inclusive conservation. Using a sociocultural approach, we conducted 261 face-to-face surveys in the social–ecological system of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to examine the preferences for 25 context-specific NCP of and within three groups of social actors: nature conservationists (n=50 respondents), tour guides (n=55) and tourists (n=156). We compared NCP preferences between and within the three groups and explored how socio-demographic attributes and interaction with nature drive NCP preferences. We found that NCP preferences of actors in the conservation–tourism nexus were highly diverse and distinct between them. Including the voices of all actors in conservation management would ensure that conservation efforts meet the needs of multiple actors. Furthermore, additional heterogeneity existed within actor groupings: the level of formal education and interaction with nature both influence NCP preferences, suggesting that broad-brushed assessments of a social actor's needs from nature can be misleading. We conclude that unpacking between- and within-group NCP preferences of actors can reduce the risk of stereotyping and oversimplifying social actors in scientific results. Such a research approach also fosters more inclusive conservation by accounting for plural needs from nature, particularly if distinct between and within social actor groups. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

KW - human–nature interaction

KW - methods

KW - national park

KW - NCP demand

KW - stakeholder heterogeneity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105022178285&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/pan3.70197

DO - 10.1002/pan3.70197

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:105022178285

JO - People and Nature

JF - People and Nature

SN - 2575-8314

ER -