Conservation Intentions Research Articles

Public understanding of One Health messages: The role of temporal framing.

Building on research in motivated reasoning and framing in science communication, we examine how messages that vary attribution of responsibility (human vs animal) and temporal orientation (now vs in the next 10 years) for wildlife disease risk influence individuals' conservation intentions. We conducted a randomized experiment with a nationally representative sample of US adults ( N = 355), which revealed that for people low in biospheric concern, messages that highlighted both human responsibility for and the imminent nature of the risk failed to enhance conservation intentions compared with messages highlighting animal responsibility. However, when messages highlighting human responsibility placed the risk in a temporally distal frame, conservation intentions increased among people low in biospheric concern. We assess the underlying mechanism of this effect and discuss the value of temporal framing in overcoming motivated skepticism to improve science communication.

HUBUNGAN ANTARA PENGETAHUAN PELESTARIAN LINGKUNGAN DAN INTENSI SISWA TERHADAP OUTPUT SEKOLAH DENGAN PARTISIPASI SISWA DALAM KEBERSIHAN LINGKUNGAN

The objective of this research is to analuyze the relationship of knowledge and enviromental conservation intention output of school students with students participation in the clean enviroment. The methode used was a survey and correlational techniques in One Senior High School, Depok.. The sampel of this research were 70 students wich proporsional random sampling. The results showed as follow: (1) The relationship between the Environmental Protection Knowledge with Students Participation in Environmental Hygiene showed a negative relationship. (2) The relationship between the intentions of the Output School Students with Student Participation in Environmental Hygiene showed a positive relationship. (3) The relationship between knowledge and intention of Environmental Protection against Output School Students together with Student Participation in Environmental Hygiene showed a positive relationship. From the research, the conclusion is that most of the students were able to understand the concepts, facts and procedures related to conservation of the environment, so most students have a strong intention to academic and non-academic.

Factors influencing local residents’ intentions to conserve the built heritage in Tanzania

ABSTRACTThis study used the dominant cognitive-based theory of planned behaviour (TPB) complemented by the affection-based attachment theory (AT) to investigate factors influencing local residents’ conservation intentions. Thus, in addition to TPB’s variables, such as attitudes towards conservation, perceived social pressure and perceived control over conservation, the study considered the effects of heritage affection on conservation intentions. Cross-sectional questionnaire-based data gathered from the three historic towns of Zanzibar Stone Town, Kilwa Kivinje and Pangani in Tanzania were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. The TPB’s variables and heritage affection all showed a positive and significant correlation with conservation intention. The empirical data therefore supported using the TPB, complemented by the AT, to explain engagement in conservation in the built heritage setting. The study concludes that conservation intention is best viewed as a mixture of cognitive and affective factors. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as suggestions for future studies are provided.

Energy conservation behavioural intention: attitudes, subjective norm and self-efficacy

This paper examines the influence of attitude towards energy conservation at home, the attitude in the campus, subjective norm, and self-efficacy on energy conservation behavioural intention among students in a private university using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Data was collected from about 194 students using a questionnaire developed from current literature on TPB. Data analysis using Smart PLS version 3.2.4 found that attitude towards energy conservation at home has an indirect significant influence on attitude towards energy conservation behavioural intention via the mediating effect of attitude towards energy conservation in the campus. Self-efficacy and subjective norm are also positively related to energy conservation intention. The study also indicates the suitability of the TPB in predicting behavioural intention through attitudes, subjective norms, and self-efficacy. Results suggest that energy education is vital in creating a positive attitude towards energy conservation while facilities managers in institutions need to formulate appropriate policies and regulations to inculcate the right attitude and behaviour towards energy saving.

Zoo visitor perceptions, attitudes, and conservation intent after viewing African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Elephants in the wild face several conservation issues. With the rebranding of zoos as conservation and education pioneers, they have the ability to both educate and inspire guests to action. The purpose of this research was to analyze visitor perceptions and attitudes toward elephant conservation and outcomes post-exhibit visit. A one-page survey was randomly administered to assess perceptions of elephant behavior, attitudes about elephant conservation, and intended conservation-related outcomes from September 2013 to January 2014. Principle component analysis identified three major components: concern for elephants in zoos, importance of elephants in the wild, and modification of nature. Visitors who scored highly on conservation intent were those with positive attitudes towards elephants in the wild and negative attitudes regarding the modification of nature. The greatest changes in conservation intent were a result of a self-reported up-close encounter and the ability to witness active behaviors. Providing guests with the opportunity to witness or experience such occurrences may aid in a more successful delivery of the zoo's conservation message. Further research into guest emotions and affective states in relation to viewing elephants in a zoological institution would provide greater insight into improving the guest experience and helping zoos meet their conservation mission. Zoo Biol. 35:355-361, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Red, white, and blue enough to be green: Effects of moral framing on climate change attitudes and conservation behaviors

Widespread political polarization on issues related to environmental conservation may be partially explained by the chronic framing of persuasive messages in ideological and moral terms that hold greater appeal for liberals and egalitarians. A series of three experiments examined the extent to which variations in the moral framing of pro-environmental messaging affect liberals' vs. conservatives' conservation intentions, climate change attitudes, and donations to an environmental organization. While liberals did not generally differ across conditions, conservatives shifted substantially in the pro-environmental direction after exposure to a binding moral frame, in which protecting the natural environment was portrayed as a matter of obeying authority, defending the purity of nature, and demonstrating one's patriotism to the United States. This shift was pronounced when conservatives perceived the congruent appeal to be a stronger argument. Evidence of mediated moderation is also presented, in which the attitudinal and behavioral shifts for conservatives were a function of the degree to which the values present in the pro-environmental appeal were perceived as coming from the ingroup. Discussion focuses on future directions for more precisely specifying moral framing effects, and on considering the pros and cons of targeted messaging for the sustainability of environmental attitude change.

Factors affecting residents' behavioral intentions for coastal conservation: Case study at Shizugawa Bay, Miyagi, Japan

Stakeholders in coastal areas including fishermen and local residents could manage coastal ecosystems sustainably. However, in Japan, a majority of rural areas including mountainous villages and fishing hamlets are encountering depopulation and aging because of urbanization and an overall decrease of the country's population. This study's objective was to identify factors that affect local residents' behavioral intentions for coastal conservation. A questionnaire survey was conducted of residents living around Shizugawa Bay in Miyagi prefecture in northeast Japan. The findings revealed eleven variables that affected respondents’ behavioral intentions to conserve the coastal area; furthermore, there were fourteen variables that affected their behavioral intention to make financial sacrifices. The respondents' willingness to know more regarding wildlife had the strongest influence on both of their behavioral intentions. Those who were willing to pay for coastal conservation were likely female, younger, had a higher annual household income, and lived farther from Shizugawa Bay. This study proposed that local stakeholders living adjacent to the coastal area could establish a funding system for conservation and sustainable management to which residents primarily living in cities could contribute.

DETERMINANTS OF ENERGY CONSERVATION INTENTION: EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITIES

Fostering energy conservation behavior is an important component of moving towards a sustainable energy future. This study aims to identify the key determinants predicting energy conservation intention in a university setting. The theory of planned behavior is adopted as the theoretical framework to investigate the underlying determinants of energy conservation intention using structural equation modeling analysis. A total of 2,000 students from the five leading public universities in Malaysia were used as the sample. The theory of planned behavior constructs was found to explain 87% of the variance in Malaysian university students’ intention to conserve energy. The results of the structural equation analysis revealed that attitude demonstrates the strongest relationship with energy conservation intention, followed by subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. The results have implications for university management’s utility policy development and for the design of a more focused and specific scheme to foster effective energy conservation behavior. Additionally, the behavioral, normative, and control beliefs identified in the study provide information for interventions to target the specific beliefs relevant to the targeted population. The implications of the present study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Distinguishing between green building occupants’ reasoned and unplanned behaviours

Several frameworks incorporate social and psychological elements of environmentally significant behaviour, and most assume cognitive and deliberate decision-making. Household energy consumption behaviours, however, span a spectrum from reasoned and deliberate to unplanned and automatic. The aim of this paper is to advance knowledge of reasoned and unplanned behaviours in the context of pro-environmental action. Using results of a survey administered to occupants of an urban residential green building, this study explores five household consumption behaviours and tests the hypothesis that unplanned behaviours will be poorly predicted by a reasoned, values-based behavioural framework. Using path analyses, variables in a values-based framework are used to predict surveyed behaviours. Findings indicate that behaviours hypothesized to be unplanned were not well predicted by the values-based framework. The framework successfully predicted what was hypothesized to be a fully reasoned behaviour. Three potential reasons are discussed for the lack of prediction of some behaviours. A deeper understanding of how unplanned, automatic or habitual behaviours intervene in conservation intentions can help policy-makers and building designers better respond to influences of occupant behaviour on building performance.

Private protected areas in Australia: current status and future directions

Despite the recognised importance of private land for biodiversity conservation, there has been little research into systems of private protected areas at a country-wide level. Here I look at definitions, legislation, ownership, management approaches and effectiveness, distribution and incentives provided to private protected areas in Australia. The term ‘private protected areas’, although increasingly used, still suffers from a lack of a clear and concise definition in Australia. Australian states and territories have legislation enabling the application of conservation covenants over private land; covenants being the primary mechanism to secure conservation intent on the title of the land in perpetuity. If considering all ‘in perpetuity’ conservation covenants under a dedicated program to be private protected areas and land owned by non-government organisations and managed for the purpose of biodiversity conservation, there were approximately 5,000 terrestrial properties that could be considered private protected areas in Australia covering 8,913,000 ha as at September 2013. This comprises almost 4,900 conservation covenants covering over 4,450,000 ha and approximately 140 properties owned by private land trusts covering approximately 4,594,120 ha. Most conservation covenanting programs now seek to complement the comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness of the public reserve system, either stating so explicitly or by aiming to protect the highest priority ecosystems on private land. There are a range of incentives offered for private land conservation and requirements of owners of private protected areas to report on their activities vary in Australia. However, there are a number of key policy challenges that need to be addressed if private protected areas are to achieve their full potential in Australia, including managing broad-scale ecosystem processes, protection and tenure reform, improved financial incentives, and access to emerging ecosystem service markets.

Energy at work: Social psychological factors affecting energy conservation intentions within Chinese electric power companies

Energy use is becoming an important environmental concern in China. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study investigates how energy concern influences employees’ intentions to conserve energy at work through the mediation effects of attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and injunctive norms. This study sampled 564 employees of nine state-owned electric companies in China. Results of structural equation modeling indicate energy concern directly influenced attitudes, PBC and injunctive norms, but not behavioral intentions. In addition, injunctive norms and PBC have direct and positive effects on energy conservation intentions. However, attitudes toward energy saving were not related to behavioral intention. Importantly, injunctive norms and PBC fully mediated the effect of energy concern on energy conservation intentions and injunctive norms had the strongest direct effect on energy conservation intentions.

Entertainment-education of altruistic behaviors: an empirical study of the effects of the narrative persuasion of a nature conservation film

Research on entertainment and education has shown positive results in testing the persuasive effects of entertainment programs on a variety of prosocial issues. However, as an altruism-centric, prosocial topic, nature conservation has been largely ignored and little investigated. This study empirically tested the persuasive effects of Fly Away Home (dir. Ballard, 1996), a feature film with a nature conservation theme, on attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the environment. The results of the experiment indicated that altruistic behavior could be promoted through narrative entertainment. Regarding the persuasive mechanisms of transportation and identification, that is, the involvement with narratives and characters, this study found that transportation was significantly associated with identification, which was then significantly associated with attitudes to conservation and subsequent behavioral intentions. Although this research is somewhat inconsistent with the extended elaboration likelihood model on which it is based, a possible, direct influence of narrative transportation was fully mediated by the results, which showed identification with the main character. Nevertheless, future entertainment-education research should investigate an expanded range of applications and include pro-environmental behaviors as a topic for public education.

There is an I in nature: The crucial role of the self in nature conservation

In this paper we analyze the social-psychological determinants of private nature conservation. As a theoretical framework we use the Theory of Planned Behavior, to which the concepts connectedness to nature, self-identity, and place attachment were added. 94 landowners participated in our survey. Results of this pilot study show that perceived behavioral control, self-identity and connectedness to nature are the key factors influencing the intention to conserve. The more farmers feel that they are capable of conserving nature on their farm, the more they see themselves as conservationists, and the more they feel connected to nature, the more likely they are to intend to conserve. An important finding is that self-identity mediates the relation between CNS and conservation intentions. This implies that with an increased connectedness to nature, people come to see themselves as conservationists and this in turn influences their intentions. Of course, these results need to be replicated and validated across different contexts. We discuss the implications of this study for future research and policy.

Human utility of marine ecosystem services and behavioural intentions for marine conservation in Japan

This study explores the utility of marine ecosystem services to Japanese residents and how this influences their behavioural intentions for marine conservation. In exploring this, the indispensability of marine ecosystem services is used as a key concept. Building on a presumption that the higher the perceived indispensability, the greater the utility, a hypothesis has been developed that the greater the indispensability, the greater its influence on enhancing behavioural intentions for marine conservation. This study tests a structural equation model correlating perceived indispensability and behavioural intentions based on responses to questionnaires from 814 residents in Japan. It clarifies that “Essential Benefits” has the highest level of perceived indispensability, but a lower influence than “Cultural Benefits” on behavioural intentions for marine conservation. “Indirect Benefits” has the second highest level of perceived indispensability but does not have a significant causal relationship with behavioural intentions, and “Cultural Benefits” has the lowest level of perceived indispensability but the highest influence on behavioural intentions. These results imply that in order to increase support from the general public for marine conservation in Japan, it would be more effective to stress measures that enhance cultural benefits of marine ecosystem services than measures stressing their indispensability. Development of more appropriate policies will require further examination of the general public's perceptions of indispensability and their influence on behavioural intentions for marine conservation and how these perception–intention relationships are affected by their respective cultural and geographical settings.

Influence of interpretation on conservation intentions of whale tourists

The concept of interpretation denotes on-site education while people engage in a guided nature-based activity. The literature suggests that interpretation influences conservation intentions but does not reveal whether the effect is constituted by interpretation or by other aspects of the guided activity. This study examined the effect of interpretation on conservation intentions on top of a wildlife viewing tour without interpretation, and differentiated among interpretation contents. In a field experiment among whale watchers, four interpretation conditions were implemented: (1) no interpretation (control group), (2) knowledge content, (3) responsibility content, and (4) emotion content. Whale conservation intentions were measured before and after the whale watching experience. The results indicate that interpretation has an effect on whale conservation intentions. The effect of emotion interpretation was larger than were the effects of knowledge interpretation and responsibility interpretation. Incorporating emotional messages, then, could contribute to successful interpretation in terms of promoting conservation among tourists.

Evaluating opportunities to enhance ecosystem services in public use areas

Public use and conservation areas (PUAs) offer opportunities to protect and enhance the delivery of ecosystem services (ES), however ES are rarely evaluated on such lands. We developed a spatially-explicit method for estimating regulating and cultural service capacity and evaluating intent to conserve ES in PUAs. We use management priority information to infer conservation intent and demonstrate the application of a social capacity metric for assessing cultural service capacity. We present a decision framework to guide efforts to enhance the delivery of benefits to public land users and downstream residents. We test this approach by pairing analyses of two ecosystem services—water purification and recreational bird watching-in PUAs throughout the Albemarle–Pamlico basin (Virginia and North Carolina). Our results reveal that management of the majority of sites does not currently give priority to either service, despite a wide range of service capacities. The decision framework suggests that managers of PUAs with moderate to high service capacity could protect ES flow by increasing awareness and other social capacity factors within PUAs. In contrast, managers of PUAs with low service capacity but high potential to influence local and regional environmental condition might focus on enhancing the biophysical capacity to provide selected services.

Psycho‐Social Factors Influencing Forest Conservation Intentions on the Agricultural Frontier

AbstractRemnant forest fragments are critical to conserve biological diversity yet these are lost rapidly in areas under agricultural expansion. Conservation planning and policy require a deeper understanding of the psycho‐social factors influencing landholders’ intentions towards conserving forest fragments. We surveyed 89 landholders in an agricultural frontier of the South American Gran Chaco and employed survey data to test three social psychological models: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and two modified versions of it, one integrated to the Norm Activation Theory (TPB‐NAT) and one including the effect of identity (TPB‐NAT‐Identity). The TPB was the most parsimonious model and explained a large variance of conservation intentions (41%). Social norms and attitudes had the largest direct influence on intentions across the three models, and identity had a significant role in shaping social norms and attitudes. Interventions aimed at building social capital within landholder networks provide the best hope for influencing pro‐conservation norms.

Local people's perceptions of forest biodiversity in the walnut fruit forests of Kyrgyzstan

The biodiversity of the walnut fruit forests in Kyrgyzstan is under huge pressure due to various socio-economic challenges and anthropogenic factors. In this context, the participation of local people plays a significant role in the conservation of biodiversity. This study assessed local people's understanding of forest biodiversity and evaluated their knowledge of the wildlife at three different locations. The research was conducted between May and September in 2008 with randomly selected households (n = 142). The results indicated that the local people were aware of the concept of forest biodiversity. This concept is perceived in different ways depending on the benefits gained from the forest and due to a bias which is strongly related to profession. Regarding the current conditions of biodiversity in general, people have clear and positive intentions for conservation. However, it seems that people will be unable to reduce their impact on forest resources in the future due to the current socio-economic challenges. Further, people's expectations for the future of forest biodiversity varied significantly (6–52%) between the sites due to the differences in the pressure exerted by humans on the forests and the availability of forest resources. Concerning the people's knowledge of wildlife this was limited to few species (28–35% of the species occurring in this area). This study highlights the fact that increasing awareness of wildlife is essential for the maintenance of biodiversity. Local people and the forestry sector need to stress the importance of biodiversity in establishing a sound conservation strategy, as well as income-generating activities.

A novel mixed method smart metering approach to reconciling differences between perceived and actual residential end use water consumption

Studies have shown that householders’ perceptions of their water use are often not well matched with their actual water use. There has been less research however, investigating whether this bias is related to specific categories of end use and/or specific types of socio-demographic and socio-psychological household profiles. A high resolution smart metering study producing a detailed end use event registry as well as psycho-social and socio-demographic surveys, stock inventory audits and self-reported water diaries was completed for 252 households located in South-east Queensland, Australia. The study examined the contributions of end uses to total water use for each group that self-identified as “low”, “medium” or “high” water users. A series of univariate tests (i.e. analysis of variance) were conducted to examine a range of variables that characterise each self-identified water usage group including age, income, percentage of water efficient stock (e.g. low-flow taps), family size and composition and water conservation intentions and attitudes. The level of information consumers receive on their water bill as well as the diurnal end use patterns were also examined. The paper concludes with a discussion of the general characteristics (i.e. income, age, gender and family composition) of groups that tended to overestimate or underestimate their water use and how this knowledge can be used to inform demand management policy such as targeted community education programmes and community-based social marketing. Further, the potential for positive economic and sustainable development outcomes from this research is also discussed.

Commercial fisheries closures in marine protected areas on Canada’s Pacific coast: The exception, not the rule

No-take marine protected areas (MPAs), where all fishing is prohibited, have been shown to provide benefits that include greater productivity of fish stocks due to increased densities, average sizes, and reproductive output. A critical component of this success is the effective management of MPAs to ensure that only those activities deemed permissible, are allowed to occur. As of 2008, 161 MPAs had been designated on the Pacific coast of Canada by federal, provincial or municipal authorities. The objective of this study was to discover how many of these MPAs are intended to provide full protection to habitats and species from commercial fishing and whether management measures were put in place to actualize this conservation intent. The comprehensive spatial dataset was built illustrating commercial fisheries closures and this was overlaid with MPA locations in a GIS. The majority of MPAs were designated as IUCN Strict Nature Reserve (Type Ia), Wilderness Area (Type Ib), and National Park (Type II) marine reserves, which are intended to be free from exploitation. It was found that 160 of the 161 MPAs are open to some commercial harvesting within their bounds. One small municipal MPA and portions of three other MPAs are not open to commercial harvesting. The incongruence between management intent and fisheries permitted suggests a management failure between designation of MPAs and implementation of fisheries management regulations. Recommendations include better coordination between the management of fisheries and the management of protected areas in Canada's Pacific Waters. This analysis and these recommendations are timely as Canada has made an international commitment as a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity to build a network of MPAs by 2012, in which at least 10% of each ecological region will be effectively conserved.