Volunteering for nature: Motivations for participating in a biodiversity conservation volunteer program

Understanding volunteer motivations for participating in nature conservation programs is an important element in the design and provision of programs intended to harness the increasingly important talents and labour that volunteers bring to conservation programs. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the motivations of participants in Volunteer for Nature, an Ontario-based nature conservation program. The study was framed within a social psychology theoretical perspective and qualitative methods were used. The participants were female and male volunteers ranging in age from 17 to 63 years old. Key motives for participating in the volunteer conservation vacation program included: 1) pleasure seeking, 2) program “perks,” 3) “place” and nature-based context, 4) leaving a legacy, and 5) altruism. The study reinforces much of the theoretical literature already existing on volunteers including volunteering as a leisure activity and motives associated with volunteering. However two unique points are explored: 1) the distinctive nature-based volunteering context, and 2) the “value-added” nature of volunteering vacations. Further, conceptual linkages with concepts such as serious leisure are discussed. An increased understanding of volunteer tourists who participate in nature conservation programs is the greatest contribution of this study.