Chan, CatherineKauka, Tatum K.2024-06-132024-06-132024-05-07https://hdl.handle.net/10125/108290Presentation slideshow and written reportIncreased natural resource depletion has encouraged government initiatives at various levels to better conserve, protect, and manage them. Unfortunately, many objectives are impossible to achieve due to current understaffing within natural resource management agencies. Public data from Hawai‘i agencies reveal that excessive staff shortages are a large contributor to their failure to meet ecological and social targets. This project aims to better understand the factors affecting the understaffing crisis across natural resource management agencies of Hawai‘i. Primary sources reveal that there are roughly eight existing retention and recruitment factors affecting understaffing in a workplace. Factors were translated into job attributes in which an evaluation of each was performed. Using a perception survey amongst current and potential employee candidates for the natural resources field, a total of 132 survey responses were collected. Through descriptive statistics, a respondent data set was generated to separate respondents into groups based on their responses to demographic questions. Then multilinear regression and thematic analyses were performed to evaluate the differences or similarities of groups' perceptions of the identified workforce factors. Key findings reveal that across all respondent groups, factors related to compensation and work environment were ranked as highly important, while other factors such as career advancement and recognition were ranked as least important. Demographics including age, gender, education level, college major, and professional experience correlated positively with the workforce factors. Specific demographic groups were significant in determining the importance of factors. Participants identified several emerging barriers related to job satisfaction which are separate from those already identified in this study. Results were shared to interested parties through a perception dataset, this report, and a presentation. All outputs identify the advantages and potential gaps existing within current natural resource management positions. These areas of concern are addressed in the hopes that agencies across these fields will utilize project findings as evidence to target the improvement of marketing or structuring job positions. With these appropriate changes, agencies may enhance staffing and refine management operations in the near future.Environmental ManagementConservationWorkforce CapacityPerceptionsRetentionRecruitmentText