Barriers and benefits of rock climber participation in citizen science for bat conservation

Abstract

Citizen science is a valuable tool for expanding the scope and impact of conservation research, particularly by engaging highly specialized recreators in data collection. This study focuses on rock climbers and their engagement with the citizen science organization Climbers for Bat Conservation (CBC). In this study, we investigate the perceived barriers and benefits that influence bat reporting behavior among rock climbers in Red River Gorge, Kentucky, USA. To accomplish this, we utilized a structured survey administered online and at a local climbing festival and segmented our sample into reporters, non-reporters, and potential reporters. Our research investigates how these perceived barriers and benefits relate to: (1) environmental attitudes as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, (2) demographic characteristics, and (3) climbing experience between audience segments. We found that environmental attitudes did not vary between climbers, and that participation largely hinged upon situational and information barriers, such as not having cellular service, forgetting to report, and not understanding the online user interface. Climbers were motivated by the intrinsic value of bats, protecting climbing access, and the ecosystem roles that bats serve, particularly insect population control. These findings offer insights for targeted interventions that leverage the untapped potential of citizen science to advance wildlife conservation in traditionally inaccessible environments.