Possibilities for strengthening nature experiences and nature stewardship in the ‘not yet engaged’

It is commonly argued that encouraging people to spend time in nature and appreciate nature is an important conduit for encouraging engagement in conservation stewardship actions. However, there is limited data available to help us understand how those ‘not yet engaged’ in conservation actually perceive nature-based settings and possibilities for nature stewardship. Here we address this gap by recruiting ‘not yet engaged’ individuals and providing guided nature experiences, followed by in-situ interviews to examine participant perceptions of these nature experiences and stewardship actions. Qualitative analysis integrated Kellert’s value typology and Value‑Beliefs‑Norm theory to assess how nature was valued, and ‘ingredients’ for stewardship action. We found that all participants described a positive appreciation of nature, reflected by naturalistic and aesthetic value orientations. However, participants were less likely to demonstrate other ingredients for stewardship, including awareness of actions that they could perform, and sense of responsibility or moral obligation to take specific actions. These findings suggest that programs aiming to promote conservation actions should not rely on encouraging nature appreciation in isolation, but also foster awareness of available actions and a sense of personal responsibility.