Key Factors Influencing Volunteer Engagement in Grassland Burning Activities Conducted by Pastoral Associations: A Case Study of Aso-Kujyu National Park

In Aso Kujyu National Park, grassland landscapes are being conserved through volunteer activities to support controlled burns of fields, and the current status of grasslands is being assessed through surveys of natural resources. In discussing the continuation of grassland management in the future, it is necessary to investigate the reasons and factors that lead pastoral associations to request volunteers for managed burning. On the other hand, there are no studies on the reasons why pastoral associations choose to request volunteers to support controlled burns, or the factors behind this choice. Thus, to support multi-stakeholder management of national parks, this study investigates the mechanisms of volunteer engagement in pastoral-led prescribed burning initiatives in Aso Kujyu National Park and key drivers facilitating their engagement involvement. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 161 pastoral associations in the Aso area regarding the introduction of volunteers to support controlled burns. A total of 52 associations responded to the survey, corresponding to a 32% response rate. The results of a discriminant analysis revealed that the pastoral cooperatives that had introduced volunteers did not have enough workers and did not oppose the participation of outsiders, while those that had not employed volunteers had a sufficient number of workers and felt resistance towards the participation of outsiders.