Katherine Nelson

• Conserving the Earth’s natural resources is of great importance to the future of all living things. The science behind conservation is dominated by the natural sciences although it is clear that human behavior is at the root of most environmental degradation problems as well as the solutions. The behavioral social sciences offer relevant theory and valuable methodological tools to understand human behavior. Yet, research on human behavior remains underrepresented in the conservation sciences. Voluntary contributions are widely accepted mechanisms for promoting conservation and for measuring individual economic behavior. This thesis aims to address several aspects of human behavior and how they relate to contributions to marine conservation. This thesis consists of an introduction followed by three self-contained chapters and a conclusion. Proximate stressors such as destructive fishing are key drivers damaging coral reef public goods. Conservation strategies that marshal local action and are tailored to the preferences of the target group are thus needed to sustain coral resources. Research 1 uses data from field experiments with a fishing community in Indonesia to test economic theory regarding preferences for giving time and money to environmental and other charitable causes. Each person is subject to one of four treatments: monetary donation, monetary donation match, volunteer time donation, and volunteer time donation match. Contrasting with the existing literature, we find that participants give significantly more when donating money compared to time. We also find that matching donations increases the percent of people giving but does not increase the amount donated. This research furthers our understanding of what motivates resource users in a developing country to contribute to the provision of public goods. Using data collected from the same study population, research 2 examines the effect of social and psychographic characteristics on giving to public goods