Nature connectedness and conservation representations among zoo professionals: an exploratory case study

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Organizational Psychology
• Environmental Sociology

Background:

• Zoological parks with conservation missions operate in hybrid structures, balancing commercial needs with conservation goals.
• Employee nature connectedness and meaning-making are potentially crucial for achieving dual mandates in these organizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the links between nature connectedness and conservation representations among employees in a marine-focused zoological park.
• To identify how different employee profiles within hybrid organizations relate to nature connectivity and conservation understanding.

Main Methods:

• A single-case study involving 104 employees of a zoological park.
• Utilized free word association tasks, a reduced New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale, and nature connectedness measures.
• Employed cluster analysis to identify distinct employee profiles based on expertise, alignment, and connectivity.

Main Results:

• Three employee profiles emerged: Technical Specialists, Cross-functional Workers, and Peripheral Workers, differing in nature connectivity and conservation representations.
• Technical Specialists showed lower personal nature identity, while Peripheral Workers had higher nature engagement.
• No significant differences in NEP scores were found between profiles, and nature connectedness did not mediate the relationship between profiles and environmental attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Hybrid environmental organizations can exhibit shared environmental values alongside diverse nature connectivity patterns among staff.
• Organizational challenges may arise from structural and representational factors influencing conservation practice, rather than value conflicts.
• Understanding these heterogeneous patterns is vital for effectively translating conservation commitments into action within complex organizational contexts.