Knowledge of returning wildlife species and willingness to participate in citizen science projects among wildlife park visitors in Germany

Successful conservation efforts have led to recent increases of large mammals such as European bison (Bison bonasus), moose (Alces alces) and grey wolf (Canis lupus) and their return to former habitats in central Europe. While embraced by some, the recovery of these species is a controversial topic and holds potential for human-wildlife conflicts. Involving the public has been suggested to be an effective method for monitoring wildlife and mitigating associated conflicts. To assess two interrelated prerequisites for engaging people in Citizen Science (CS) – knowledge of returning species and respondents’ readiness to participate in CS activities for monitoring and managing these species – we conducted a survey (questionnaire) in two wildlife parks located in different states of Germany. Based on 472 complete questionaires, we developed generalized linear models to 1) understand how sociodemographic variables and exposure to the species affected visitors’ knowledge of each species, and t..., Responses from a visitor survey in two wild life parks in Germany (October 2020). The survey was a paper based questionnaire, which was manually transferred into this Excel file.,