Conservation Officers’ Perceptions of Their Working Conditions and Their Enforcement of Environmental Law in a Territory of High Environmental Protection

Ana M. Martín (), Christian Rosales and Bernardo Hernández
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Ana M. Martín: Departamento de Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional, Universidad de la Laguna, 382500 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Christian Rosales: Departamento de Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional, Universidad de la Laguna, 382500 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Bernardo Hernández: Departamento de Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional, Universidad de la Laguna, 382500 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: Environmental protection laws are useful tools for promoting sustainability by eradicating anti-environmental behavior while encouraging alternative sustainable behaviors. However, the achievement of these goals relies on the psychosocial processes underlying the behaviors of the people in charge of the enforcement of these laws. Conservation officers play a central role in the enforcement of these laws, but their intervention behavior has not been assessed in relation to their perceptions of their working conditions. To fill this gap, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 128 conservation officers from four public authorities responsible for enforcing environmental law in a territory with a high level of legal environmental protection. The main results show that the participants have similarities and differences with conservation officers from other territories in their perception of their working conditions. Likewise, it was found that self-efficacy and satisfaction influence their intervention behavior, both directly and through their goals. The role of descriptive social norms as well as the relation of collective efficacy and self-efficacy and satisfaction were also revealed. Policy implications of these findings involve the need to improve communication between prosecutors, judges and conservation officers, as well as the enhancement of conservation officers’ collective efficacy, self-efficacy and skills used to educate people in avoiding damaging the environment and collaborating in its protection.

Keywords: conservation officers; environment protection officers; environmental law enforcement; protected area management; conservation policies; collective efficacy; self-efficacy; descriptive social norms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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