Making more effective use of human behavioural science in conservation interventions

Balmford, Andrew; Bradbury, Richard B.; Bauer, Jan Michael; Broad, Steven; Burgess, Gayle; Burgman, Mark A.; Byerly, Hilary; Clayton, Susan; Espelosin, Dulce; Ferraro, Paul J.; Fisher, Brendan; Garnett, Emma; Jones, Julia P. G.; Marteau, Theresa; Otieno, Mark; Polasky, Stephen; Ricketts, Taylor H.; Sandbrook, Chris; Sullivan-Wiley, Kira; Trevelyan, Rosie; Linden, Sander van der; Veríssimo, Diogo; Nielsen, Kristian Steensen

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109256

Cited by 48 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 135 publications

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“…This also highlights the value of using behavioural sciences and predictive methods for pro-actively exploring intervention options before implementation (Balmford et al, 2021;Travers et al, 2019). We found scenarios to be a useful method for encouraging fishers to think creatively -even a hypothetical incentive revealed heterogeneity in fisher knowledge and performance, which was not otherwise mentioned in direct questioning.…”

Section: Implications and Opportunities For Designing Conservation Incentivesmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Almost all threats to nature derive from human actions (Balmford et al, 2021). Marine megafauna are primarily threatened by overfishing -captured throughout the world's oceans, in fisheries of all types (Lewison et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This addresses several policy-relevant areas of conservation literature: shifting from research on threats towards research on solutions (Williams et al, 2020); responding to calls for wider use of behavioural sciences in conservation (Balmford et al, 2021); building a greater understanding of values of marine species from the perspective of resource users (Lew, 2015); and offering a novel and replicable combination of methods for doing so. Our results can be used within the study sites, and our methods generalized to other similar SSFs throughout the world -to inform local conservation interventions, and global financing mechanisms that could deliver a sustainable and equitable ocean economy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing locally-appropriate conservation incentives for small-scale fishers

Booth¹,

Ramdlan²,

Hafizh³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Large, long-lived marine animals (‘marine megafauna’) play critical roles in ocean ecosystems, however, they are threatened by overfishing. Technologies and practices that reduce fisheries’ impacts on marine megafauna are well documented, yet less is known about how to encourage their adoption. This is particularly challenging in small-scale fisheries (SSFs), where endangered species can have important consumptive use values. We used a novel combination of methods – scenario interviews with contingent valuation (CV) – to investigate how incentive-based interventions might influence fisher behaviour and reduce mortality of Critically Endangered taxa (hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) and wedgefish (Rhynchobatus spp.)) in two case study SSFs in Indonesia. Scenario interviews revealed that positive performance-based incentives were almost unanimously supported (98% and 96% of fishers would stop landing hammerheads and wedgefish, respectively). This is in contrast to 1% and 6% under a business as usual control scenario, and 52% and 46% in response to a regulation with a fine. Using CV, we estimated that an incentive-based scheme for catch mitigation of all hammerheads and wedgefish across both sites could cost US$71,620-298,820 annually, and save up to 18,500 hammerheads and 2,140 wedgefish relative to current catch baselines. This study provides empirical evidence that performance-based payments could offer a cost-effective, legitimate and socially-just approach for marine conservation in SSFs, and support “a sustainable and equitable blue economy” and “living in harmony with nature”. This is particularly important with the growing adoption of net-outcome goals for biodiversity, with studies such as this providing the basis for locally-appropriate investment ready schemes for bycatch-neutral seafood supply chains.

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Section: Implications and Opportunities For Designing Conservation Incentivesmentioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Designing locally-appropriate conservation incentives for small-scale fishers

Booth¹,

Ramdlan²,

Hafizh³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Therefore, human–wolf coexistence would benefit from encouraging changes in human behavior. Awareness campaigns should adopt strategies to influence human behaviors (Balmford et al, 2021; Cinner, 2018; Nielsen et al, 2021) with the potential to impact on reducing risky situations with wolves. Here, we have highlighted several behavioral changes that should be prioritized: not leaving children unattended, adopting preventive damage measures and waste management practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living with wolves: Lessons learned from Iran

Mohammadi

Alambeigi

López‐Bao

et al. 2022

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Given the complex and dynamic interrelationships of the underlying factors contributing to conflicts associated with wolf presence and persistence in human-dominated landscapes, it is often difficult to clearly identify the ultimate causes of these conflicts. In this study, a system dynamics modeling approach was adopted to simulate human-wolf conflicts in an area with the greatest number of recently fatal wolf attacks on humans in Iran. Data used to build the model were obtained from questionnaire surveys and satellite tracking of wolves. We simulated changes in ecological and social factors that may influence conflicts under different assumptions. Our findings indicate that, in this context, the proximity of wolves to human settlements is one of the determining factors leading to increased wolf attacks on humans and livestock.When the distance between wolf territories and human settlements increases, the likelihood of both wolf incidents and retaliatory killings are expected to decrease. Effective communication of information regarding wolves across local communities is expected to result in a positive shift in attitudes toward the species, as well as a decrease in fear, which in turn will affect the rate of conflicts. Improper disposal of carcasses of domestic animals by the locals, dumping of waste in open dumpsites close to villages, and leaving children unattended on agricultural fields are expected to increase the recurrence of conflicts. We strongly urge Hamadan provincial office of environment and nongovernmental organizations to initiate communication programs to raise awareness on the human-wolf conflict and its mitigation. This includes how to properly handle livestock carcasses at safe distances from human settlements. Furthermore, design and construction of sanitary landfills in the vicinity of each village, as well as providing education on how to properly use these sites could help reduce risky conflicts.

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“…Our approach could be easily applied for understanding and managing bycatch in other fisheries, thus advancing the use of behavioural sciences in conservation; and promoting action-focused conservation research, which moves beyond describing states and mechanisms, towards creating social and behavioural change (Andrews et al, 2021;Balmford et al, 2021;Williams et al, 2020). Moreover, by focusing on understanding perceptions of fishers, and identifying salient beliefs which drive overexploitation or protection of marine species, a socio-psychological approach can identify common interests and conflicts of interest between fisheries and conservation objectives, and thus create opportunities to work towards negotiated solutions, which respect the needs and rights of small-scale fishers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A socio-psychological approach for understanding and managing bycatch in small-scale fisheries

Booth¹,

Ichsan²,

Hermansyah³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Fisheries bycatch is the greatest threat to migratory, long-lived marine animals. Managing bycatch can be particularly problematic in small-scale mixed-species fisheries, where perceptions of target and non-target vary widely, and all catches have economic or subsistence value. Such fisheries are ubiquitous throughout the world’s oceans, and represent a cross-disciplinary challenge for biodiversity, food security and livelihoods. We offer a novel approach for addressing this challenge, drawing on well-established theories from behavioural and social sciences. We first typify bycatch as a spectrum rather than a clearly delineated component of catch, where the position of a species on this spectrum depends on fishers’ beliefs regarding the outcomes of bycatch-relevant behaviour. We then outline an approach to diagnose the underlying socio-psychological drivers of bycatch, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Finally, we illustrate the approach using an empirical case study, exploring fishers’ beliefs regarding bycatch-relevant behaviour for three endangered species in a small-scale gill net fishery in Indonesia. We show how a socio-psychological approach can help to identify conflicts and synergies between bycatch mitigation and fishers’ beliefs, thus informing more effective and socially-just interventions for marine megafauna conservation. We emphasize the need to understand human dimensions of bycatch, especially in SSFs, where technical fixes alone will be insufficient to change behaviour. Rather, interdisciplinary approaches are needed to align fishers’ needs with conservation objectives. Our spectrum and approach could be widely applied for disentangling drivers of bycatch in other SSFs, and designing interventions which support effective and equitable marine conservation.

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Making more effective use of human behavioural science in conservation interventions

Cited by 48 publications

References 135 publications

Designing locally-appropriate conservation incentives for small-scale fishers

Designing locally-appropriate conservation incentives for small-scale fishers

Living with wolves: Lessons learned from Iran

A socio-psychological approach for understanding and managing bycatch in small-scale fisheries

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