The ongoing transport and spread of alien species worldwide are among the
distinguishing characteristics of the Anthropocene. Likewise, despite its long history, citizen science (CS) is increasingly being recognized as a 21st century phenomenon.
The critical mass of citizen scientists is evident by the steady increase in the number
of projects depending on volunteer participation. The same is true of projects dealing
with the problem of invasive alien species (IAS), which rely heavily on volunteers’
help for the initial detection of new invaders and their subsequent control and
eradication. However, despite their importance for the success of many CS IAS
projects, little is known about the motivations guiding volunteers to participate in IAS
projects. Consequently, the goal of this research was to uncover the main motivations
leading volunteers to take part in IAS projects and thus ensure a better and more
successful design of future IAS CS project initiatives. A meta-synthesis approach was
used to search for, analyze and synthesize the results obtained from the selected
publications. Relevant studies were searched for using multiple databases (Web of
Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and Google), using a search string encompassing
(through a set of relevant synonyms) the three relevant topics: motivations, citizen
science and invasive alien species. Filtering of the resulting documents was
performed on several levels, aiming to finally include only those studies with empirical
evidence pertaining to the participants’ motivations, leading to the final set of 27
relevant publications. A list of 202 statements pertaining to volunteer motivations was
retrieved from the selected documents, and the listed motivations were further
assigned to broader motivation categories using an iterative coding approach. The
process of iterative categorization of the motivation statements yielded 16 different
motivations affecting the participation of volunteers in IAS CS actions. These
motivations have been further divided into those which are primarily environmental
(supporting IAS management, helping the environment and protecting native species
and habitats), those with a social connotation (social interaction, community
responsibility and contribution to science) and those which are more personal
(learning something new, personal and career development, feeling of
accomplishment, health and wellbeing, enjoyment and fun). Some of the listed
motivations are influenced by more than one aspect. For example, outdoor recreation,
contact with nature and attachment to a particular place are motivations which refer to
both a personal and an environmental aspect, while wanting to share existing
knowledge and livelihood/food/income protection or opportunities are equally part of
the social and personal aspect of motivations. An important outcome of this research
is its recognition of previously unreported motivations, unique to IAS CS initiatives: 1)
supporting invasive alien species (IAS) management, 2) protecting native species and
habitats, and 3) livelihood/food/income protection or opportunities, as these aspects
could be the cornerstones of future IAS CS project campaign
