Communicating Expectations: Informing Strategic Communications by Conservation Level Segmentation and Impression Management Preferences

Abstract

In the United States, collaboration between landowners and endangered species conservation (ESC) organizations is required to accomplish conservation goals. However, collective action for ESC is stymied by governance legitimacy deficits. Strategic communication is a tool used to accomplish organizational goals that can restore legitimacy through communications that re-align governance institutions with societal notions of appropriateness. Strategic communication, though, has yet to be investigated in the context of landowners and ESC. To illustrate how strategic communication can increase ESC collaboration, we surveyed 956 owners in Houston toad range in Texas to elicit their preferences for stewardship and communication constructs. Findings revealed distinct segments of landowners based on their stewardship preferences that preferred different types of communications. If ESC agencies are to enhance legitimacy amongst an increasingly heterogeneous landowner audience, they will want to adopt landowner-centric governance and communication strategies that account for differences in landowner conservation values, ESC experiences, and organizational expectations.

Keywords:

• Endangered species
• legitimacy
• organizational impression management
• private landowners
• strategic communication

Acknowledgements

This manuscript is based on J. Messick’s doctoral dissertation (Messick 2023).

Data Availability Statement

The data set associated with the paper may be found at doi:https://doi.org/10.18738/T8/GK2KIR.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department under contract #CA-0001016.