Participatory approaches are often suggested to increase sustainability and adaptability of conservation programs because they are assumed to build capacity of participants to learn and manage projects. This article compares participatory projects with different styles of management to determine whether increasing the extent or quality of engagement of participants affects the degree to which they learn. The results show that: (1) Participants in all projects learnt something, but the extent of learning was overall highest for projects with greatest engagement; (2) The length of time participants were involved in a project did not influence how much they learned; and (3) a range of factors relating to engagement influenced learning outcomes. The results suggest that if capacity building is a desired outcome of participation, then it pays to invest in high levels of engagement right from the outset. More research to help understand the processes involved in enhancing learning is required.

1. Highlevelsof participation enhances learning

3. “ “ Nullius in Verba.On no man's word.- Motto of the Royal Society

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5. 4

6. 3

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8. Results

11. Types of Learning

12. “ It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees. WangariMaathi “

13. ?

14. Understanding others

15. Time (years)

16. Time (years)

17. Time (years)

18. Time (years)

19. Solving complex problems

20. Time (years)

21. Time (years)

22. Time (years)

23. Time (years)

24. “ Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning. Mahatma Ghandi “

27. Autonomy

28. Feeling Valued

29. Information sharing

30. Involvement in decision making

31. Fair decision making

33. Anna Evely a.c.evely@abdn.ac.uk University of St. Andrews and Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability Evely, A.C., Fazey, I., Reed, M.S., and M. Pinard (2010) High levels of participation in conservation projects enhance learning. Conservation Letters Thanks to Supervisors: Michelle Pinard, Ioan Fazey, Xavier Lambin Statistical support: Alex Douglas Participating Projects: Cairngorms Water Vole Project, NE Scotland Water Vole project, Whitchurch Water Vole Project, BASC Green Shoots, Highland Red Squirrel Project, Dundee Red Squirrel Project, Red Squirrels South Scotland, Northern England Red Squirrel Group