Naturalist Identity and Biodiversity Conservation: the Mediating Role of Obligation

Identity is a fundamental concept in social psychology; however, its application in conservation education has been limited. This study examines the impact of naturalist identity on biodiversity conservation behaviors, focusing on both direct and indirect pathways mediated by a sense of obligation. Using a mixed-methods approach, we developed and validated a 10-item Naturalist Identity Scale (NIS) using a total of 824 valid responses from naturalists and college students, demonstrating strong psychometric properties and cross-group comparability. Results from 198 naturalists revealed that naturalist identity significantly predicts biodiversity-related actions, with a sense of obligation partially mediating this relationship. Consequently, the study provides a reliable scale for measuring naturalist identity and suggests that a stronger naturalist identity is associated with a higher frequency of biodiversity actions. Our findings emphasize the importance of identity in fostering conservation behaviors and offer practical insights for environmental education strategies.