Understanding River-Based Environmental Volunteering by Activity Type: Motivations and Barriers

Abstract This article explores the motivations and barriers influencing participation in river-based environmental volunteering, with a focus on how these vary across activity types, to inform more effective engagement and retention strategies. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 125 volunteers involved in four activity types: education, monitoring, restoration, and activism. Initial motivations and perceived barriers were assessed using Likert-scale items adapted from validated instruments. While environmental concern and a desire to learn about nature were common across all groups, distinct motivational patterns emerged according to activity type. Volunteers involved in outreach and education activities were characterized as community-oriented educators , participants engaged in environmental monitoring as career-oriented learners , volunteers involved in sociopolitical activism as advocacy-driven volunteers , and participants engaged in restoration activities as action-focused restorers. Time constraints, limited public awareness, bureaucratic complexity, and greenwashing were identified as common barriers. However, barriers also varied across activity types, with educators and activists reporting higher emotional and institutional barriers than restorers and monitoring volunteers. These findings suggest that motivations and barriers are closely interconnected and associated with different river-based volunteering activity types. This highlights the need for tailored programs designed around the specific motivational and barrier profiles associated with each activity type, in order to foster long-term commitment and meaningful participation in river restoration.