Human disturbance is a serious threat facing shorebirds, and reducing disturbance presents a significant conservation challenge. It requires an understanding of the complex factors that influence both shorebird biology and human behavior related to shorebirds and coastal environments. This thesis used information from ecological and social science fields, along with the applied knowledge of conservation practitioners to build a more holistic understanding of human-shorebird interactions, specifically related to human disturbance of migrating shorebirds. Further, this research provides practical solutions for better managing these interactions. To accomplish this, we used the Delphi technique, an iterative group communication process, to bring scientists and managers together to develop a shared definition of "human disturbance to shorebirds" and a list of priority disturbance categories that affect migratory shorebirds. Next, we collated and synthesized literature on human disturbance during migration and drivers of human behavior related to disturbance or potential management actions. Then, through manager interviews, we examined how shorebird management decisions are made during migration and explored how managers balance the needs of shorebirds and public use of their sites. The disturbance definition and priority disturbance categories, literature synthesis, and manager interviews were used to create a best practices guidance document for reducing human disturbance to migratory shorebirds in the Northeastern U.S. Finally, we conducted a survey of beachgoers to evaluate a shorebird conservation outreach campaign and examined the factors that influence pro-shorebird behavior change. This research demonstrates how integrating social and ecological information and expert opinion can inform conservation and management. / M. S. / Recreational use of beaches and other coastal environments may negatively impact beach wildlife, such as shorebirds. Reducing the impacts of these potential human disturbances presents a significant challenge to shorebird conservation. This thesis used information from ecological and social science fields, along with the applied knowledge of conservation practitioners to build a more complete understanding of human-shorebird interactions, specifically related to migrating shorebirds. Further, this research provides practical solutions for better managing these interactions. To accomplish this, we used the Delphi technique, an iterative social science method, to bring scientists and managers together to develop a shared definition of “human disturbance to shorebirds” and a list of significant human activities that may negatively affect migrating shorebirds. Next, we collected and synthesized information on human disturbance during migration and aspects of human behavior related to disturbance or potential management actions. Then, through interviews with land managers, we examined how shorebird management decisions are made during migration and explored how managers balance the needs of shorebirds and public use of their sites. The disturbance definition, literature synthesis, and manager interviews were then used to create a management guidance document for reducing human disturbance to migrating shorebirds in the Northeastern U.S. Finally, we conducted a survey with beachgoers to evaluate a shorebird outreach campaign and examined the factors that influence people to adopt more pro-shorebird behaviors. This research demonstrates how integrating social and ecological information and guidance from experts can contribute to shorebird conservation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99336 |
| Date | 17 January 2019 |
| Creators | Mengak, Lara Frances |
| Contributors | Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Dayer, Ashley A., Karpanty, Sarah M., Stern, Marc J., Catlin, Daniel H. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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