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Messaging matters: A systematic review of the conservation messaging literature

Version 2 2024-09-19, 06:20
Version 1 2023-05-20, 06:44
journal contribution
posted on 2024-09-19, 06:20 authored by LR Kidd, GE Garrard, SA Bekessy, M Mills, AR Camilleri, F Fidler, KS Fielding, A Gordon, EA Gregg, AM Kusmanoff, Winnifred Louis, K Moon, JA Robinson, MJ Selinske, D Shanahan, Vanessa AdamsVanessa Adams
Changing human behavior and attitudes are key to conserving global biodiversity. Despite evidence from other disciplines that strategic messaging can influence behavior and attitudes, it remains unclear how to best design messages to benefit biodiversity. We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the status of conservation messaging research, and to evaluate whether studies address essential elements of message design and theory from other disciplines. We show that academic interest in conservation messaging is growing rapidly. However, our results suggest that conservation scientists are not effectively drawing from the long-standing expertise of disciplines with well-established messaging techniques. Many studies do not draw on established behavior change theories or audience segmentation techniques. Given the urgent need to address the loss of biodiversity, we discuss how conservation messaging can draw on existing empirical and theoretical knowledge, with a focus on the application of established techniques used in messaging for pro-environmental behavior.

History

Publication title

Biological Conservation

Volume

236

Pagination

92-99

ISSN

0006-3207

Department/School

Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, Law

Publisher

Elsevier Sci Ltd

Publication status

  • Published

Place of publication

The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, England, Oxon, Ox5 1Gb

Rights statement

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socio-economic Objectives

190299 Environmental policy, legislation and standards not elsewhere classified

UN Sustainable Development Goals

15 Life on Land

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