Trust-building as a Keystone Activity in Beaver-related Restoration Practice

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Conservation Biology
• Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management

Background:

• North American beavers (Castor canadensis) are vital for ecological restoration.
• Engaging private landowners is crucial for promoting beaver coexistence and implementing restoration goals.
• Effective communication strategies are needed to facilitate nonlethal beaver management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how restoration practitioners communicate with private landowners about beaver coexistence.
• To identify key trust-building tactics used by practitioners.
• To develop a framework for enhancing trust in environmental management.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with restoration practitioners in Oregon, USA.
• Utilized abductive analysis to identify trust-building elements and tactics.
• Organized 60 identified tactics using the Shared Foundations model and adaptive management cycle.

Main Results:

• Trust-building emerged as an essential component of restoration practice.
• Practitioners employ diverse tactics, adapting them to individual landowners and contexts.
• A progression from novice to master trust-builder is proposed.

Conclusions:

• Trust-building is a learnable craft crucial for successful environmental management.
• Greater emphasis on relationships and trust repair is needed in restoration.
• The study provides a practitioner-informed framework for improving trust-building in beaver coexistence initiatives.