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 to 2)
investigate if sociodemographic variables and knowledge influenced the
likelihood of visitors to participate in CS activities. Almost all
visitors were aware of the returning wolf population, while knowledge and
awareness about bison and moose were significantly lower. Knowledge of the
two herbivores differed geographically (higher knowledge of moose in the
north-eastern state), possibly indicating a positive association between
exposure to the species and knowledge. However, models generally performed
poorly in predicting knowledge about wildlife, suggesting that such
specific knowledge is insufficiently explained by sociodemographic
variables. Our model to explain stated willingness in CS indicated that
younger participants and those with higher knowledge scores in the survey
were more willing to engage in CS activities. Overall, our analyses
highlight how exposure to large mammals, knowledge about wildlife and
human demographics are interrelated - insights that are helpful for
effectively recruiting citizen scientists for wildlife conservation.