Message framing strategies for effective marine conservation communication

Abstract

Abstract Human activities are a major source of threat to marine ecosystems. Solutions thus require changes to or cessation of those activities in addition to multiple restorative and conservation efforts – all of which, in turn, require public support for success. However, scientific understanding of threats to marine ecosystems has not paralleled public understanding of those threats in many jurisdictions. Highly complex, interwoven, distant, vulnerable to multiple stressors, and hosting biota that are biologically unfamiliar to people, marine ecosystems present unique communication challenges. The merits of effective communication capable of motivating behavioural change, policy action and support for marine conservation are often emphasized. To date, however, environmental communication, as a field, has largely focused on terrestrial ecosystems and more recently on climate change, leaving research‐informed marine conservation communication neglected. Adding to the small compilation of marine conservation communication literature, this integrative review provides a new understanding of how six message frames (emotional, problem/solution, outcome, value‐based, distance, and social norm) can interactively help enhance the effectuality of conservation messages. Insights from the framing‐related literature are merged with those from relevant fields including the theoretical literature, and the behavioural, social, and environmental sciences to define concepts, provide examples and explain the relevance of the six identified frames. The potential strength of these frames are discussed and suggestions on how they might be used to communicate different marine conservation issues are provided.