Environmental volunteering
Encyclopedia
Environmental volunteers conduct a range of activities including environmental monitoring
(e.g. wildlife); ecological restoration
such as revegetation
and weed removal, and educating others about the natural environment. The uptake of environmental volunteering stems in part from the benefits for the volunteers themselves, such as improving social network
s and developing a sense of place.
Like other types of volunteering, environmental volunteers are motivated by a range of different factors, some of which are altruistic and others are for personal interest and development. Recognised motivations are: 1) making a contribution to community, 2) promoting social interaction, 3) personal development
, 4) learning about the natural environment, 5) a general ethic of care
for the environment, and 6) attachment to a particular place.
Volunteers have been increasingly conducting roles such as environmental monitoring meanwhile public investment in professional environmental managers to conduct those roles has tended to decline.
Environmental monitoring
Environmental monitoring describes the processes and activities that need to take place to characterise and monitor the quality of the environment...
(e.g. wildlife); ecological restoration
Restoration ecology
-Definition:Restoration ecology is the scientific study and practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action, within a short time frame...
such as revegetation
Revegetation
Revegetation is the process of replanting and rebuilding the soil of disturbed land. This may be a natural process produced by plant colonization and succession, or an artificial , accelerated process designed to repair damage to a landscape due to wildfire, mining, flood, or other cause...
and weed removal, and educating others about the natural environment. The uptake of environmental volunteering stems in part from the benefits for the volunteers themselves, such as improving social network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
s and developing a sense of place.
Like other types of volunteering, environmental volunteers are motivated by a range of different factors, some of which are altruistic and others are for personal interest and development. Recognised motivations are: 1) making a contribution to community, 2) promoting social interaction, 3) personal development
Personal development
Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitates employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations...
, 4) learning about the natural environment, 5) a general ethic of care
Ethics of care
The ethics of care is a normative ethical theory; that is, a theory about what makes actions right or wrong. It is one of a cluster of normative ethical theories that were developed by feminists in the second half of the twentieth century...
for the environment, and 6) attachment to a particular place.
Volunteers have been increasingly conducting roles such as environmental monitoring meanwhile public investment in professional environmental managers to conduct those roles has tended to decline.
See also
- VolunteeringVolunteeringVolunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
- Virtual volunteeringVirtual volunteeringVirtual volunteering is a term describing a volunteer who completes tasks, in whole or in part, off-site from the organization being assisted, using the Internet and a home, school, telecenter or work computer or other Internet-connected device. Virtual volunteering is also known as online...
- Voluntarism (action)Voluntarism (action)Voluntarism is sometimes used to mean the use of, or reliance on voluntary action to maintain an institution, carry out a policy, or achieve an end. In this context the word voluntary action means action based on free will, which in turn means action which is performed free from certain constraints...