Conservação e Ciências Humanas: um diálogo interdisciplinar para compreender fatores sociopsicológicos relacionados à conservação de polinizadores

Abstract

The decline of pollinating insects and associated ecosystem services is a problem that directly affects the maintenance and processes of socioecological systems, from the dynamics of biological communities to the production and quality of food for humanity. Threats to pollinators are already documented in the literature, although with gaps regarding the size of the impact on different spatial and temporal scales. Among these threats are habitat loss—mainly due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture—pesticide use, climate change, and invasive species. Some solutions aimed at protecting and increasing pollinator populations in the face of such threats, as well as maintaining the richness of their communities, have already been established. However, the development and implementation of these solutions are extremely complex and depend on various factors ranging from data input to generate ecological evidence on the status of pollinators to engaging people in pro-pollinator actions. In the field of Ecology and Conservation Biology, various approaches are used for this purpose; however, there is a deficit of studies aiming to understand how sociopsychological aspects affect the application and implementation of solutions for engaging people in such actions. This thesis aims to investigate sociopsychological factors related to pollinator conservation in the light of an interdisciplinary approach involving Human Sciences and Conservation (Conservation Social Science) covering two major themes: Citizen Science and Agriculture. In the first chapter, I argue that Citizen Science is a co-production model that can increase and upscale pollinator conservation in socioecological systems, also bringing benefits to science and individuals, and I present scientific evidence supporting this proposition. Subsequently, in the second chapter, I empirically investigated the similarities and differences in the viewpoints of citizen science project coordinators focused on pollinating insects regarding the importance of citizen science for pollinator conservation. To do so, I used the Q Methodology to perform a qualitative-quantitative analysis with coordinators in Brazil and the United Kingdom. I found that three viewpoints describe the perceptions of coordinators: (1) Citizen science has a dual purpose, delivering both scientific and public engagement outcomes; (2) Citizen science may have limitations in its scope; and (3) Citizen science primarily serves as a tool for citizen engagement with limited outcomes. These viewpoints differ primarily on the role of citizen science in pollinator conservation, especially in its capacity to generate good quality data. However, there is consensus among the viewpoints regarding the role of citizen science in promoting public engagement and awareness of pollinators, fostering connections with nature, and stimulating interest in pollinator science. Moving on to the context of Agriculture, in the third chapter, I present a narrative literature review to indicate the state-of-the-art on studies using variables and theories from Psychology with farmers and determinants of pollinator conservation. In the fourth and final chapter, I present an empirical study in which I used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to quantify the psychological determinants of intention to plant flowers as pollen and nectar resources in cultivated areas using a case of farmers in the United Kingdom. We found that attitudes and perceived behavioral control are determinants of farmers' intentions, but social norms are not. Based on these results, I present some recommendations to guide conservation actions in agricultural environments that encourage ecological intensification of agriculture, considering it a socioecological system. In summary, this thesis presents evidence on sociopsychological variables that serve both to ensure the implementation of pollinator conservation actions, already warned in Ecology and Conservation, as well as to understand and ensure human well-being.