title: Stakeholder Perceptions of Threatened Species and Their Management on Urban Beaches.
abstract: We surveyed 579 recreationists regarding management of the threatened, beach-dwelling Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis. We postulated that: (1) lower awareness of the species and higher 'inconvenience' of management would engender less favourable perceptions of conservation and management; and (2) that frequency of beach use and dog ownership may mediate perceptions and levels of awareness and inconvenience. Overall, inconvenience was low while awareness and support for plover conservation were high. Education and awareness strategies were considered less effective than regulations; exclusion and regulations were considered less desirable than on-ground protective measures. Awareness, frequency of beach use and dog walking did not influence the perceived effectiveness of different managements. More frequent beach users had greater awareness of the species and their plight but reported greater inconvenience associated with management. Respondents with high awareness rated the severity of human-related threats higher; low awareness was associated with more inconvenience associated with on-ground protection, and exclusion and regulations. Dog walkers reported more inconvenience associated with exclusions and regulations than non-dog walkers. Dog walkers who used the beach infrequently rated threats significantly higher than frequent beach users. Conservation and education strategies could usefully be tailored to beach users' level of use and pet ownership.
authors.affiliation: BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, The Green Building, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia. grainne.maguire@birdlife.org.au.
authors.forename: Grainne S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.affiliation: Barwon Coast, Ewing Blyth Drive, Barwon Heads, VIC 3227, Australia. james@barwoncoast.com.au.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rimmer
authors.affiliation: Centre for Integrative Ecology, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia. mweston@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Weston
keywords: Hooded Plover; dogs; education; recreationists; regulation; sandy shores; wildlife