– what many conservation NGOs are doing wrong

E.C.M. Parsons, Mel Cosentino, & A.J. Wright

NOT

It is a truth universally acknowledged (and well-studied),

that the general public often knows little about the

conservation status of species or habitats

e.g.,

Bottlenose

Dolphin

Californ

ia Harb

or Porp

oise

Vaquita

Porpoise

Fin W

hale

Northern

Right W

hale

Whale

Shark

Pigmy S

hort-fined

Whale

Lump-hea

ded Dolphin

Majesti

c Spotted

Dolphin

Not Applica

ble0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Perc

enta

ge (%

)of R

espo

nden

ts

Fake species

Which dolphin/whale species are the most important to conserve? (n=858; 95% confidence limits +/- 3.27%; Denham 2015)

Fake species

Most endangered

cetacean

Most endangered

whale

A fish

In another survey nearly 2/3 of the public surveyed had heard of biodiversity and a 1/3 could correctly define it …

…only 31% thought “biodiversity” was “very important” to conserve

(Shah & Parsons 2015; n=180; 95% confidence +/- 7.26%)

If NGO and government agency strategies were effective at outreach and engagement, then this would not be the case.

Photo credit: Katheryn Patterson

Several NGOs have large memberships, in some countries exceeding the membership of all political parties combined, which could be a major lobbying tool or the basis for major shifts in public behavior.

However, NGO materials to the general public are often geared towards recruiting members or raising funds, rather than actually educating the masses or eliciting more sweeping pro-conservation behavioral changes.

Materials often developed by the converted (e.g. NGO materials) …

Very rarely is the audience involved stakeholders or those whose behavior we want to change

NGOs, like most scientists, often cling to the “deficit” model:

that simply providing information will lead to societal change. This is clearly not the case.

The Deficit Model

11

Whatever informational outreach materials are produced are often “passive” (e.g., mailed letters, web-based fact sheets), rather than “active” outreach.

Some NGOs have developed social media campaigns, such as online petitions, that are more active, but which typically have little long-term impact.

Many people believe they have “done their bit” if they simply share materials (known as “slacktivism”).

Conservation NGOs (and agencies) need to think beyond passive methods of education and stop using their marketing departments purely for fundraising.

Businesses already know that animals make great salespeople. Why can’t they help save themselves?

I CAN SAVE YOU A BUNCH OF MONEY

AND A FEW SPECIES TOO

Learning from product advertising, conservation outreach could be more effective by …

… delivering simple messages …

… but with accurate facts …

… (although too many facts turn off an audience - studies have shown that presenting facts & figures makes people less likely to act or donate) …Small, D.A., Lowenstein, G. and Slovic, P. 2005. Can insight breed callousness? The impact of learning about identifiable victim effect on sympathy. University of Pennsylvania.

… evoke surprise or …

… or emotion …

… (ideally a mix of information and emotional content in a conservation message is more effective) …

… to make messages more memorable by …

Sadoski, M. and Quest, Z. 1990. Reader recall and long term recall for journalistic text. The roles of imagery, affect and importance. Reading Research Quarterly 5: 256-72Sadoski, M., Goetz, E.T. and Kangiser, S. 1988. Imagination in story response: relationships between imagery, affect and structural importance. Reading research Quarterly 23: 320-36.

… providing information in an interesting “story” format …

… as memorable simple messages are more effective, but …

Heckler, S.E. 1994. The role of memory in understanding and encouraging recycling behavior. Psychology and Marketing 11: 375-92.

… avoid using fear or hopeless messages, as they are counter-productive in the long-term …McKenzie-Mohr, D. and Dyal, J. 1991. Perceptions of threat, tactical efficacy and competing threats as determinants of pro-disarmarment behavior. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 6: 675-696.

Oh God, oh God, we’re all gonna die !

… be positive about what can be achieved …

DON’T YOU SEE?

ONLYYOU CAN SAVE MANKIND

GNU Terry Pratchett

… emphasizing that a large proportion of the public, community and peers feel the same way (i.e., it is a societal norm) …Goldstein, N.J., Griskevicius, V. and Cialdini ,R.B. 2007. Invoking societal norms: a social psychology perspective on improving hotel’s linen-reuse programs. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 48(2): 145-150Griskevicius, V.G., Cialdini ,R.B. and Goldstein, N.J. 2008. Societal norms: an underestimated and under employed lever for managing climate change. International Journal of Sustainability Communication 3: 5-13.

… and also emphasizing how the issue effects them personally and what they lose by not acting …Caples, J. (revised by Hahn, F.E.) 1997. Tested Advertising Methods. Prentice Hall.

?

… motivating them to learn more and …

… providing concrete actions for the public to do that could make a significant difference …

?

… For example, supporting a specific election issue …

… boycotting goods, such as unsustainable palm oil …

Outside-the-box outreach could be very effective (e.g., “product placement”, such as lobbying TV show writers to insert conservation story lines).

Be creative – Co-opt an Audience

VaquitaAreBrowncoats – Now on Facebook

“YOU MUST UNLEARN WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED…”