INFORMATIONAL AND SOCIAL DRIVERS OF CONSERVATION PRACTICE ADOPTION: EXAMINING SPATIAL DATA NEEDS AND SOCIAL NETWORK DYNAMICS

Abstract

Conservation outcomes are fundamentally shaped by the social and political systems that guide data collection, analysis, management decisions, and project implementation. This dissertation examines how data, social networks, and governance structures influence the adoption of conservation practices. Across three studies, I analyzed how the availability of actionable information, the structure of relationships among conservation actors, and the dynamics of governance interact to support or constrain conservation actions. The first study evaluated how U.S. water resource managers use spatial data to assess watershed condition and prioritize actions. Survey results reveal that while spatial data were widely used, available datasets were not well aligned with practitioner needs. Gaps in economic and socio-political information such as project costs, incentives, and organizational responsibilities pose greater challenges to decision-making than deficiencies in biophysical data. These findings highlight opportunities to develop integrated data products that combine economic and institutional information to better support effective, coordinated watershed management. In a second study, I used social network analysis to investigate how relationship-building among conservation actors might influence the spread of conservation initiatives. Using the independent cascade and linear threshold information diffusion models, I show that adding new social connections can sometimes enhance and sometimes hinder practice adoption. Increased connectivity generally promoted broader adoption under the independent cascade model, but additional ties often reduced diffusion under the linear threshold model. In a third study, I again used social network analysis to examine how governance approach (i.e., top-down vs. bottom-up) and organization type shape conservation adoption. Simulations show that bottom-up communication initiated by nongovernmental organizations and local governments consistently produced higher adoption levels than top-down communication from state or federal agencies. Together, these three studies illustrate how information, social networks, and governance processes jointly shape conservation effectiveness and offer practical guidance for designing data products, outreach strategies, and collaborative frameworks to strengthen environmental management.