Willingness to participate in the restoration of waters in an urban–rural setting: Local drivers and motivations behind environmental behavior

Abstract

Restoration projects might be easier to accomplish, and the projects and their results better supported by local communities if the beneficiaries could be more intensely involved in the projects. The aim of this study was to determine how the setting and cognitive or attitudinal factors explain pro-environmental behavior in the context of small water restoration in an urban–rural setting. We compared the results from three primary contingent valuation (CV) surveys in Finland conducted in different geographical locations: the urban capital region of Helsinki, the peri-urban Kalimenjoki river basin area, and the rural Koillismaa area of northeastern Finland. According to the results, it appears that instead of an urban–rural dichotomy, the willingness to participate in pro-environmental actions by donating money or carrying out voluntary work might be determined by place-related local factors that either motivate or discourage participation in environmental work. Awareness of the local obstacles and drivers for the restoration of watercourses might make it easier to accomplish projects in the future and help in allocating budget funding to the areas where public willingness to participate is limited.