Preferences and values for forests and wetlands: A comparison of farmers, environmentalists and the general public in Australia

Abstract

Over the past decades, a trend toward environmental concern has been measured in general population samples. Natural resource management is a complex area in which multiple stakeholders compete for their different views to be heard. Different entities and natural areas must also compete with each other for access to resources such as funding for research and management. This paper describes the natural area management preferences of three samples (general public, environmentalists and farmers) based upon their intrinsic and instrumental values. A cluster analysis of the combined sample shows that while some clusters indicated strong and opposing management preferences, most respondents indicated a mid-range position. Respondents from all samples held the same level of conservation or use preferences regardless of whether the area was a forest or a wetland, but some differences were shown towards endangered species.