Achieving conservation impact by shifting focus from human attitudes to behaviors |
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Authors: | Danielle Nilsson Kelly Fielding Angela J Dean |
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Institution: | 1. Danielle Nilsson, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Sir Fred Schonell Drive, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia;2. School of Communication and Arts, The University of Queensland, Sir Fred Schonell Drive, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia;3. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Sir Fred Schonell Drive, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia |
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Abstract: | Attitudes have been a commonly used psychological measure of program effectiveness in conservation social science research. The major limitation of this approach is that attitudes do not always translate into behavior and therefore may not provide an accurate assessment of program success. Given that achieving conservation goals generally relies on understanding and changing human behavior, we argue for the need to assess behavior rather than attitudes as an indicator of conservation outcomes. Psychological theory shows that attitudes and behavior are distinct, but related, concepts. Measuring conservation behaviors involves identifying the target behavior or behaviors and the optimal time to measure and then selecting the most appropriate method of measurement (i.e., direct observation, objective indicators, self-reported behavior, and behavioral intentions) that considers the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. We call for conservation programs to focus on influencing behavior rather than attitudes alone and encourage conservation practitioners and researchers to collect high-quality behavioral data to more effectively inform policy and programs. |
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Keywords: | behavior change biodiversity effectiveness evaluation interventions programs biodiversidad cambio de comportamiento eficacia evaluación intervenciones programas 行为转变 干预 评估 项目 生物多样性 有效性 |
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