The unsustainable wildmeat trade has been long recognized as a threat to wildlife. Yet, its impact on marine species has been underresearched. Sea turtles have been historically threatened by unsustainable trade, but there are few studies of consumer profile, motivations, and preferences. We conducted a survey in São Tomé Island, Gulf of Guinea, West Africa, including eight rural communities (n = 1,160) and the capital city of São Tomé (n = 628). We estimated prevalence of consumption, preference and availability of sea turtle meat and eggs. About 25% of rural and 32% of urban respondents had consumed meat in the past year. Around 25% of rural respondents were egg consumers, whereas little consumption was found in urban areas. Social norms were a predictor of consumption of sea turtle meat and eggs in rural communities but not in São Tomé city. Regarding influencers, teachers and religious leaders were the most trusted sources in rural communities, while teachers and NGOs were most trusted in São Tomé city. Radio and television were the most trusted channels in rural communities, while urban dwellers trusted radio the most. This research showcases how a structured approach to audience research can obtain behavioral insights that can guide behavior change efforts.

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Abstract:Conservation rules aimed at restricting resource use are commonly used to manage and protect natural resources, but their implementation is strongly affected by resource users' compliance. The design of effective rules should be informed by an understanding of the factors that affect compliance, considering the contextual socio-economic information. Potential changes in the national legislation protecting sea turtles have been recently discussed in the Cape Verde archipelago, where historical and recent records indicate heavy human predation pressure on nesting and foraging sea turtles. The most recent assessment of levels of illegal harvesting and consumption of sea turtle products on two of the islands, Boavista and Santiago, are presented, followed by an analysis of their potential drivers.http://www.oryxthejournal.org Oryx -The International Journal of Conservation F o r P e e r R e v i e wThe perceived impact of main interventions currently employed in Cape Verde to reduce illegal sea turtle harvesting, trade and consumption were investigated by interviewing key stakeholders. Despite an apparent decrease of sea turtle harvest and consumption over recent years, our results suggest a shift from subsistence harvesting to trade in Boavista. The existence of sea turtle protection laws was perceived as a main deterrent to harvesting, while awareness campaigns and a lack of resource availability were perceived as main reasons for decrease in consumption in Boavista and Santiago, respectively. Aiming to inform ongoing discussions, we recommend a multi-targeted approach focusing both on suppliers and consumers in order to magnify conservation effectiveness. Regular impact evaluation focusing both on harvest and consumption is needed to better design regulations and robustly inform policy decisions. Tables Table S1. Drivers and assumptions underlying wildlife trade interventions (TRAFFIC, 2008) and indicators used in this study to assess their success. Table S2. Characterisation of the groups targeted for this study at Boavista (n = 147) individuals from four villages and one city) and Santiago (n = 291 individuals from six villages and one city). Boavista (n=17) 10,000 ± 4,000 5,000 -20,000 10 000Santiago (n=96) 12,000 ± 4,000 4,000 -20,000 10 000Juvenile Turtle (Whole) 1 Santiago (n=3) 5,000 ± 4,500 1,500 -10,000 N/A Boavista (n=10) 250 -600 300 Boavista. The existence of sea turtle protection laws was perceived as a main 42 deterrent to harvesting, while awareness campaigns and a lack of resource availability 43 were perceived as main reasons for decrease in consumption in Boavista and 44 Santiago, respectively. Aiming to inform ongoing discussions, we recommend a 45 multi-targeted approach focusing both on suppliers and consumers in order to 46 magnify conservation effectiveness. Regular impact evaluation focusing both on 47 harvest and consumption is needed to better design regulations and robustly inform 48 policy decisions. 49

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