Voluntary nature conservation amidst social change

How can voluntary engagement in nature conservation be strengthened? This question arises time and again in times of social change. The Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), together with the Öko-Institut, Verian and Nationale Naturlandschaften e. V., is gathering proposals for a sustainable vision of this engagement. Together, they are investigating who is involved in nature conservation, what obstacles exist and which strategies are particularly effective in attracting volunteers and retaining them in the long term.

The focus is on the particular importance of voluntary engagement for nature conservation in Germany. This is because many nature conservation and environmental education tasks would be virtually impossible to carry out without volunteers. At the same time, the forms of engagement are changing: alongside traditional association structures, flexible, project-based and digital formats are gaining in importance. This opens up new opportunities to involve different social groups, but also requires adapted structures, programmes and communication channels.

What motivates people? What are the barriers, and what are effective structures for recruiting and retaining volunteers? To answer these important questions, the transdisciplinary research project combines qualitative and quantitative approaches with the practical knowledge of volunteers, organisations and specialist institutions. The findings will be reviewed in collaboration with practitioners and translated into target-group-oriented recommendations for action, for example on recognition, recruitment of new volunteers, further training, public relations, diversity and inclusion, partnerships, and new forms of engagement.