Combining Internal And External Motivations In Multi-Actor Governance Arrangements For Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services

These files provide the original survey data of the paper on motivations for biodiversity conservation in Europe. This paper analyses the possibility of building a mutually supportive dynamics between internally and<br> externally motivated behaviour for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision. To this<br> purpose a face to face survey amongst 169 key actors of 34 highly successful and prominent biodiversity<br> arrangements in seven EU countries was conducted. The main<br> finding of the paper is the feasibility of<br> combining inherently intrinsically motivated behaviours (providing enjoyment, pleasure from<br> experimentation and learning, aesthetic satisfaction) and internalized extrinsic motivations (related<br> to the identification with the collective goals of conservation policy) through a common set of governance<br> features. Successful initiatives that combine internal and external motivations share the following<br> features: inclusive decision making processes, a broad monitoring by “peers” beyond the core staff of the<br> initiatives, and a context that is supportive for the building of autonomous actor competences. These<br> findings are in line with the psycho-sociological theory of motivation, which shows the importance of a<br> psycho-social context leading to a subjective perception of autonomy and a sense of competence of the<br> actors.