Community perceptions of invasive species and environmental management in a US island territory

Abstract

Environmental managers struggle with communicating accurate and relevant information and with gaining trust from the communities they serve, problems that are especially pronounced in minority and colonized communities. An important step in developing successful management strategies is partnering directly with the communities involved, but community perceptions are rarely surveyed thoroughly when developing these strategies. We held discussions with 73 people across 22 small groups about their perceptions of environmental issues, with a focus on invasive species, on the island of Gu & aring;han (Guam), a US island territory with a long and continued history of colonization by Western countries. We conducted these small group discussions with long-time residents to learn about their environmental concerns and perceptions of invasive species and management efforts. Using grounded theory, we identified themes concerning apathy, proenvironmental behaviors, frustrations with efficacy, and disconnectedness from environmental decision-making among residents of Gu & aring;han. Residents expressed feeling disconnected from management decisions, which they critiqued as ineffective, but largely felt helpless to affect. Still, residents related to us their proenvironmental behaviors (e.g., picking up litter and controlling invasive species) and expressed a desire to learn more about management efforts. Our results highlight a clear need for improvement and expansion of engagement with Gu & aring;han residents about environmental management, as well as opportunities to engage with a concerned and potentially proactive community. Percepciones comunitarias de las especies invasoras y la gesti & oacute;n ambiental en un territorio insular de los Estados Unidos Los gestores ambientales tienen dificultades para comunicar informaci & oacute;n precisa y pertinente y para ganarse la confianza de las comunidades a las que sirven, problemas pronunciados en las comunidades minoritarias y colonizadas. Un paso importante en el desarrollo de estrategias de gesti & oacute;n eficaces es la colaboraci & oacute;n directa con las comunidades implicadas, pero las percepciones de la comunidad rara vez se estudian a fondo cuando se desarrollan estas estrategias. En la isla de Gu & aring;han (Guam), un territorio insular de los Estados Unidos con una larga y continua historia de colonizaci & oacute;n por parte de pa & iacute;ses occidentales, mantuvimos conversaciones con 73 personas en 22 grupos reducidos sobre su percepci & oacute;n de los problemas ambientales, con especial atenci & oacute;n a las especies invasoras. Realizamos estos debates en peque & ntilde;os grupos con residentes habituales para conocer sus preocupaciones ambientales y sus percepciones sobre las especies invasoras y los esfuerzos de gesti & oacute;n. Usamos la teor & iacute;a fundamentada e identificamos temas relacionados con la apat & iacute;a, los comportamientos proambientales, las frustraciones con la eficacia y la desconexi & oacute;n con la toma de decisiones ambientales entre los residentes de Gu & aring;han. Los residentes manifestaron sentirse desconectados de las decisiones de gesti & oacute;n, que criticaron por ineficaces, pero sobre las que se sent & iacute;an incapaces de influir. Aun as & iacute;, los residentes nos relataron sus comportamientos proambientales (por ejemplo, recoger la basura y controlar las especies invasoras) y expresaron su deseo de aprender m & aacute;s sobre los esfuerzos de gesti & oacute;n. Nuestros resultados ponen de manifiesto la clara necesidad de mejorar y ampliar la colaboraci & oacute;n con los residentes de Gu & aring;han en materia de gesti & oacute;n ambiental, pero tambi & eacute;n las oportunidades de colaborar con una comunidad preocupada y potencialmente proactiva. ResumenPercepciones comunitarias de las especies invasoras y la gesti & oacute;n ambiental en un territorio insular de los Estados Unidos Los gestores ambientales tienen dificultades para comunicar informaci & oacute;n precisa y pertinente y para ganarse la confianza de las comunidades a las que sirven, problemas pronunciados en las comunidades minoritarias y colonizadas. Un paso importante en el desarrollo de estrategias de gesti & oacute;n eficaces es la colaboraci & oacute;n directa con las comunidades implicadas, pero las percepciones de la comunidad rara vez se estudian a fondo cuando se desarrollan estas estrategias. En la isla de Gu & aring;han (Guam), un territorio insular de los Estados Unidos con una larga y continua historia de colonizaci & oacute;n por parte de pa & iacute;ses occidentales, mantuvimos conversaciones con 73 personas en 22 grupos reducidos sobre su percepci & oacute;n de los problemas ambientales, con especial atenci & oacute;n a las especies invasoras. Realizamos estos debates en peque & ntilde;os grupos con residentes habituales para conocer sus preocupaciones ambientales y sus percepciones sobre las especies invasoras y los esfuerzos de gesti & oacute;n. Usamos la teor & iacute;a fundamentada e identificamos temas relacionados con la apat & iacute;a, los comportamientos proambientales, las frustraciones con la eficacia y la desconexi & oacu Los residentes manifestaron sentirse desconectados de las decisiones de gesti & oacute;n, que criticaron por ineficaces, pero sobre las que se sent & iacute;an incapaces de influir. Aun as & iacute;, los residentes nos relataron sus comportamientos proambientales (por ejemplo, recoger la basura y controlar las especies invasoras) y expresaron su deseo de aprender m & aacute;s sobre los esfuerzos de gesti & oacute;n. Nuestros resultados ponen de manifiesto la clara necesidad de mejorar y ampliar la colaboraci & oacute;n con los residentes de Gu & aring;han en materia de gesti & oacute;n ambiental, pero tambi & eacute;n las oportunidades de colaborar con una comunidad preocupada y potencialmente proactiva. Resumen (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(Gu & aring;han)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)22(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)73(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)((sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).[(sic)(sic):(sic)(sic)(sic);(sic)(sic):(sic)(sic)(sic)]