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Naito R, Chan KMA, López de la Lama R, Zhao J. Audience segmentation approach to conservation messaging for transforming the exotic pet trade. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14267. [PMID: 38682646 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Advancing transformative change for sustainability requires population-wide behavior change. Yet, many behavioral interventions tackling environmental problems only examine average effects on the aggregate, overlooking the heterogeneous effects in a population. We developed and preregistered a novel audience segmentation approach to test the diverse impact of conservation messaging on reducing demand for exotic pets (private action - i.e., desire to own exotic pets or visit wildlife entertainment places) and fostering citizen engagement for system-wide change (civic action - e.g., signing a petition or participating in a protest against the exotic pet trade). Through an online survey with US participants (n = 2953), we identified 4 population segments (early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards), representing varying levels of commitment to wildlife conservation and then randomly assigned each segment to one of 3 messaging conditions. Messages highlighting negative consequences of the exotic pet trade and the power of collective action for system change effectively promoted private action among all segments except early adopters (ηp 2 = 0.005). Among civic actions, only the collective action message motivated early adopters and the early majority to sign petitions (φC = 0.193 and φC = 0.097, respectively). Furthermore, the 4 segments showed distinct reasoning for action and inaction on wildlife conservation, with certain relational values, such as care, serving as both motivations and barriers to action. These findings highlight the need for targeted behavioral interventions across diverse populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rumi Naito
- Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kai M A Chan
- Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rocío López de la Lama
- Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jiaying Zhao
- Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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2
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Ram SA, MacLean HL, Tihanyi D, Hannah L, Posen ID. The complex relationship between carbon literacy and pro-environmental actions among engineering students. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20634. [PMID: 38034751 PMCID: PMC10682548 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Lifestyle choices and consumption play a large role in contributing to per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Certain activities, like fossil fuel ground transportation, long-haul flights, diets with animal products and residential heating and cooling contribute significantly to per capita emissions. There is uncertainty around whether literacy about these actions encourages individuals to act pro-environmentally to reduce personal carbon footprints or to prioritize the most effective actions. This study investigated the relationship between carbon literacy and pro-environmental actions performed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions among undergraduate engineering students at the University of Toronto. The pro-environmental actions by the participants produced an average carbon footprint of 4.8 tCO2 (within the subset of actions included in the survey) which was lower than the average for residents each of Toronto, Ontario, and Canada overall but still higher than the global target of ∼2.8 tCO2e. The carbon literacy by participants was best for high impact actions like ground transportation and dietary choices but less so for air travel and there was mixed awareness for the moderate and low impact actions. For high impact actions and many moderate and low impact actions, participants who thought the action was high impact (even if incorrect) had lower carbon footprints related to the associated activity than those who thought the action was moderate or low impact. The overall relationship between pro-environmental action and carbon literacy was weak. It showed that for high impact actions, there is a slight negative correlation between carbon literacy and personal carbon footprint whereas for moderate and low impact actions, there is a positive correlation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherry Ann Ram
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, 35 St George St, Toronto, ON, M8Z 3Y6, Canada
| | - Heather L. MacLean
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, 35 St George St, Toronto, ON, M8Z 3Y6, Canada
- University of Toronto, Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP), 55 St. George Street, Room 723, Toronto, ON, M5S 0C9, Canada
- University of Toronto, School of the Environment, 1016V-33 Willcocks St, Toronto, ON, M5S3E8, Canada
| | - Deborah Tihanyi
- University of Toronto, Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP), 55 St. George Street, Room 723, Toronto, ON, M5S 0C9, Canada
- University of Toronto, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, 5 King's College Road Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Liam Hannah
- University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V6, Canada
| | - I. Daniel Posen
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, 35 St George St, Toronto, ON, M8Z 3Y6, Canada
- University of Toronto, Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP), 55 St. George Street, Room 723, Toronto, ON, M5S 0C9, Canada
- University of Toronto, School of the Environment, 1016V-33 Willcocks St, Toronto, ON, M5S3E8, Canada
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3
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Greving H, Bruckermann T, Schumann A, Stillfried M, Börner K, Hagen R, Kimmig SE, Brandt M, Kimmerle J. Attitudes Toward Engagement in Citizen Science Increase Self-Related, Ecology-Related, and Motivation-Related Outcomes in an Urban Wildlife Project. Bioscience 2023; 73:206-219. [PMID: 36936382 PMCID: PMC10020826 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Citizen science projects are crucial for engaging citizens in conservation efforts. Although attitudes toward engagement in citizen science were mostly considered an outcome of citizen science participation, citizens may also have a certain attitude toward engagement in citizen science when starting with a citizen science project. Moreover, there is a lack of citizen science studies that consider changes over longer periods of time. Therefore, in this research, we present two-wave data from four field studies of a citizen science project about urban wildlife ecology using cross-lagged panel analyses. We investigated the influence of attitudes toward engagement in citizen science on self-related, ecology-related, and motivation-related outcomes. We found that positive attitudes toward engagement in citizen science at the beginning of the project had positive influences on the participants' psychological ownership and pride in their participation, their attitudes toward and enthusiasm about wildlife, and their internal and external motivation 2 months later. We discuss the implications for citizen science research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Till Bruckermann
- Institute of Education, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Biology Education, IPN–Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Kiel, Germany
| | - Anke Schumann
- Science Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Milena Stillfried
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Konstantin Börner
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Hagen
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophia E Kimmig
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Brandt
- Department of Science Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joachim Kimmerle
- Knowledge Construction Lab, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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4
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Soga M, Gaston KJ. Nature benefit hypothesis: Direct experiences of nature predict self‐reported pro‐biodiversity behaviors. Conserv Lett 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Soga
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Bunkyo Tokyo Japan
| | - Kevin J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
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5
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Irwin A, Geschke A. A consumption‐based analysis of extinction risk in Australia. Conserv Lett 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Irwin
- ISA, School of Physics The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Arne Geschke
- ISA, School of Physics The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
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6
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How meat reduction differs from other personal climate actions: Distinct concerns and cultural barriers among EU consumers. Food Qual Prefer 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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7
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Selinske MJ, Bekessy SA, Geary WL, Faulkner R, Hames F, Fletcher C, Squires ZE, Garrard GE. Projecting biodiversity benefits of conservation behavior-change programs. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13845. [PMID: 34622490 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss is driven by human behavior, but there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of behavior-change programs in delivering benefits to biodiversity. To demonstrate their value, the biodiversity benefits and cost-effectiveness of behavior changes that directly or indirectly affect biodiversity need to be quantified. We adapted a structured decision-making prioritization tool to determine the potential biodiversity benefits of behavior changes. As a case study, we examined two hypothetical behavior-change programs--wildlife gardening and cat containment--by asking experts to consider the behaviors associated with these programs that directly and indirectly affect biodiversity. We assessed benefits to southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) and superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) by eliciting from experts estimates of the probability of each species persisting in the landscape given a range of behavior-change scenarios in which uptake of the behaviors varied. We then compared these estimates to a business-as-usual scenario to determine the relative biodiversity benefit and cost-effectiveness of each scenario. Experts projected that the behavior-change programs would benefit biodiversity and that benefits would rise with increasing uptake of the target behaviors. Biodiversity benefits were also predicted to accrue through indirect behaviors, although experts disagreed about the magnitude of additional benefit provided. Scenarios that combined the two behavior-change programs were estimated to provide the greatest benefits to species and be most cost-effective. Our method could be used in other contexts and potentially at different scales and advances the use of prioritization tools to guide conservation behavior-change programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Selinske
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah A Bekessy
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - William L Geary
- Biodiversity Division, Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology (Burwood Campus), School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard Faulkner
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fern Hames
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Zoe E Squires
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Georgia E Garrard
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Ecosystems and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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de Boer J, Aiking H. Do EU consumers think about meat reduction when considering to eat a healthy, sustainable diet and to have a role in food system change? Appetite 2021; 170:105880. [PMID: 34942285 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper aims to highlight the position of meat reduction in what EU consumers think "eating a healthy and sustainable diet" involves and who has a role to play in achieving food system change. The data are based on the Eurobarometer 93.2 survey (mid 2020). The participants were asked to make their own selections out of a variety of food-related items and actors, linked to meat ("Eating meat less often") and other aspects of diets ("Eating more fruit and vegetables"). Their responses were analyzed separately in two EU regions: Northwest Europe-consisting of the 10 richest EU countries with the highest scores on economic and social sustainable development indicators- and the East and the South. Three principal components of dietary thinking were distinguished, relating to 1) nutrition issues, 2) easy "light green" issues and 3) more demanding "deeper green" issues, respectively. The analysis also distinguished three types of actors in the value chain (food chain actors, supporting actors, and governmental actors). In Northwestern Europe, a majority of consumers saw a role for themselves in making the food system more sustainable and a large minority saw meat reduction as part of a healthy and sustainable diet. Both responses were much less common in the East and South. In the Northwest, meat reduction was relatively strongly related to "deeper green" thinking but also weakly to nutrition-focused thinking, whereas the opposite was found in the East and South. However, meat reduction had no prominent position in their considerations. For policy-makers, therefore, it is crucial that both nutrition and environment can be motivating factors for consumers to consider meat reduction, albeit to different degrees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joop de Boer
- Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Harry Aiking
- Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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9
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Exploring food consumers’ motivations to fight both climate change and biodiversity loss: Combining insights from behavior theory and Eurobarometer data. Food Qual Prefer 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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10
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Marselle MR, Turbe A, Shwartz A, Bonn A, Colléony A. Addressing behavior in pollinator conservation policies to combat the implementation gap. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2021; 35:610-622. [PMID: 32602624 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Solutions for conserving biodiversity lie in changing people's behavior. Ambitious international and national conservation policies frequently fail to effectively mitigate biodiversity loss because they rarely apply behavior-change theories. We conducted a gap analysis of conservation behavior-change interventions advocated in national conservation strategies with the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW), a comprehensive framework for systematically characterizing and designing behavior-change interventions. Using pollinator conservation as a case study, we classified the conservation actions listed in national pollinator initiatives in relation to intervention functions and policy categories of the BCW. We included all national-level policy documents from the European Union available in March 2019 that focused on conservation of pollinators (n = 8). A total of 610 pollinator conservation actions were coded using in-depth directed content analysis, resulting in the identification of 787 intervention function and 766 policy category codes. Overall, these initiatives did not employ the entire breadth of behavioral interventions. Intervention functions most frequently identified were education (23%) and environmental restructuring (19%). Least frequently identified intervention functions were incentivization (3%), and restriction (2%) and coercion were completely absent (0%). Importantly, 41% of all pollinator conservation actions failed to identify whose behavior was to be changed. Building on these analyses, we suggest that reasons for the serious implementation gap in national and international conservation policies is founded in insufficient understanding of which behavioral interventions to employ for most beneficial impacts on biodiversity and how to clearly specify the intervention targets. We recommend that policy advisors engage with behavior-change theory to design effective behavior-change interventions that underpin successful conservation policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa R Marselle
- Department Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger St. 159, Jena, 07743, Germany
| | | | - Assaf Shwartz
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | - Aletta Bonn
- Department Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger St. 159, Jena, 07743, Germany
| | - Agathe Colléony
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel
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