Environmental stewardship is a term that describes an individual’s actions to protect and sustainably utilize natural resources. The actions can be carried out at a variety of scales (local to global) in both urban and https://mountaincountryfarm.com/what-is-environmental-stewardship/ rural settings. Stewardship-supporting activities can include educational programs, social marketing campaigns, and payments for ecosystem services (PES) that aim to promote intrinsic motivations by creating a connection with nature, or changing people’s ethics, values or beliefs. External rewards or sanctions such as financial incentives can also be used to motivate stewardship behavior.
The concept of environmental stewardship is often used as a synonym for conservation. However it also encompasses an overall understanding of humans’ relationship to the natural world. It is based upon the idea that we are all interconnected with nature and must therefore take care of it. This kind of stewardship takes into account concepts such as social-ecological systems, sustainable livelihoods and adaptive co-management. These concepts can provide a more comprehensive perspective on the role of people in managing natural resources.
The majority of abstracts pertaining to stewardship are coded under Action (76 percent), indicating that environmental stewardship is a major part in the achievement of desired ecological and social outcomes. Of the remaining abstracts, the smallest proportion is coded under Outcome with only 1%, suggesting that interventions that target outcomes tend to be at broader eco-regional and/or national-international scales, and not on the individual level.