Abstract
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) have caused widespread damage to environmental and socio-economic systems across the globe. One vector of biological invasions is recreational boaters who are at risk of unintentionally introducing AIS when moving between freshwater ecosystems. The drivers of boater behaviors and belief systems therefore warrant careful research attention, yet surprisingly few studies have empirically tested how the ecological context of biological invasions influences the behavioral decisions of recreational boaters. We asked: What are the relationships among boater proximity to AIS, perceptions of risk and efficacy, familiarity with AIS, and engagement in AIS prevention behavior? Drawing from a survey of boaters administered across the U.S. state of Illinois, we quantified and spatially located where boaters lived and evaluated their behavioral patterns. We then combined these survey data with spatially explicit observations of AIS across four taxa, which were collated using secondary data sources. We observed high levels of perceived risks from biological invasions, strong beliefs that individuals could make a difference in minimizing the spread of AIS, and low AIS-related familiarity. Results from a structural equation path model indicated that proximity to invasive fish species, but not other types of AIS, was associated with higher risk perceptions, which in turn, influenced self-efficacy and the intended behaviors of boaters. This study offers new insights on how decision-makers can optimize their effort and direct attention toward high and low priority locations defined in both social and ecological terms.
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Funding
Funding for this study was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch program (accession #: 7000939), Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Grant number F69R36Q3), and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Grant number CAFWS-144A). Thanks are extended to the individuals who shared their experiences and knowledge in support of this research process.
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Theory development, data collection and analysis were all performed by Alison Moore and Danika Ford with mentoring from Elizabeth Golebie, and North Joffe-Nelson. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Alison Moore and Danika Ford. Greg Hitzroth, Amanda Huegelmann, Sarah King, and Jeffrey Stein offered conceptual guidance throughout the project and offered editorial revisions. Carena van Riper secured funding for this research and provided overall direction in all aspects of the study.
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Moore, A., Ford, D., Golebie, E. et al. Social and ecological drivers of behavior that prevents aquatic invasive species transport. Biol Invasions (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-024-03287-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-024-03287-5