Work

The Relationship Between a Wildlife Conservation Project Involving Scientist-Farmer Collaboration and Farmers’ Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Conservation Science and the Environment in Switzerland

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Considering agriculture’s significant contribution to the environmental crisis, farmers play a crucial role in conservation. It is thus important to explore the drivers motivating them towards sustainable practices. Farmer-scientist collaboration is a promising tool to promote pro-environmental practices, yet empirical evidence on the outcomes of such collaborations remains sparse. In this study, we aim to assess the association between a long-term scientist-farmer collaboration and farmers’ attitudes and behaviors towards conservation science and the environment. Using three consecutive annual surveys and a longitudinal sample of over 100 farmers, we compared farmers collaborating in a wildlife conservation project with non-collaborators. Collaborators exhibited significant improvement in trust towards conservation science between the first and second survey, while non-collaborators showed gradual improvements. Both groups enhanced their pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors over time. This study underscores the value of collaboration with ecologists in enhancing farmers’ attitudes towards conservation science. It also highlights the intricate relationships between attitudes towards conservation science and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors.

Source: Environment and Behavior

DOI: 10.1177/00139165261489989

Authors: Estelle Milliet, Jean-Philippe Antonietti, Alexandre Roulin, Fabrizio Butera

Institution: University of Lausanne

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Education and Sustainability

Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action, Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900