Encouraging Conservation Behavior Through Nature Awareness in Voluntary Private Land Programs

The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) calls for expanded and more effective area-based conservation, including through Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). In Australia, where much biodiversity occurs outside formal protected areas, voluntary private land conservation is critical, yet empirical evidence of its ecological and social effectiveness remains limited. This article presents a pre-approved Stage 1 protocol in Conservation Biology for a three-year, longitudinal mixed-methods study evaluating voluntary conservation interventions on private land. The study compares three intervention types: (1) non-binding area-based conservation programs, (2) citizen science and ecological engagement initiatives, and (3) combined participation in both. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the concept of noticing nature, the study examines how interventions influence landholder intentions, conservation behaviours, and ecological outcomes. Data collection includes repeated annual surveys, standardised ecological site assessments, and walk-along interviews. Quantitative analyses will use path regression to estimate relationships among interventions, psychosocial variables, and ecological indicators, complemented by inductive thematic analysis of qualitative data.As a registered Stage 1 protocol, no empirical results are reported. Past tense refers to completed study design and instrument development. Planned analyses will report effect sizes for changes in landholder attitudes, self-reported behaviours, and site-level ecological metrics across intervention types and time points.This protocol addresses a key evidence gap in voluntary private land conservation by providing a theoretically grounded, replicable framework for evaluating OECMs and engagement-based interventions, supporting more effective implementation of the GBF across working landscapes.