Are we making the grade? Practices and reported efficacy measures of primate conservation education programs

Abstract

Conservation education is often employed alongside primate conservation efforts with the aim of changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward non-human primates. Recommended best-use practices include longevity, use of program incentives, collaboration among educators, and adaptive program assessment, among others. This study surveys primate conservation education programs (PCEPs) to assess the frequency of suggested best-use practices, and to investigate impacts on program efficacy. Online surveys were collected from PCEPs in 2013-2014 (N = 43). The majority of programs reported lengths of 5-10 years, with participant involvement ranging widely from a day to several years. Non-economic and economic incentives were distributed by approximately half of all programs, with programs that provided economic incentives reporting positive participant attitude changes more frequently than those that did not (P = 0.03). While >70% of PCEPs consulted with community leaders, local teachers, and research scientists, only 45.9% collaborated with other conservation educators and only 27% collaborated with cultural experts such as cultural anthropologists. Programs that collaborated with other conservation educators were more likely to report reductions in threats to primates, specifically to bushmeat hunting and capture of primates for the pet trade (P = 0.07). Formal program evaluations were employed by 72.1% of all programs, with the majority of programs using surveys to assess changes to participant attitudes and knowledge. Formal evaluations of participant behavior, community attitudes and behaviors, and threats to primate populations were less common. While results indicate that PCEPs follow many suggested best-use practices, program impacts may be enhanced by greater discussion of economic incentivization, increased collaboration between conservation educators, and improved commitment to adaptive evaluation of changes to behaviors in addition to attitudes and knowledge.

Using video and theater to increase knowledge and change attitudes—Why are gorillas important to the world and to Congo?

“…EE aims to foster favorable attitudes toward the environment (and hence public support) and to promote natural resource conservation (e.g., reduce illegal activities and increase compliance with environmental regulations and stimulate policy change) (Jacobson, ; Jacobson, McDuff, & Monroe, ). These education programs have traditionally been employed more commonly in zoos and aquariums (Andersen, ; Patrick, Matthews, Ayers, & Tunnicliffe, ; Seybold, Braunbeck, & Randler, ) but are increasingly used to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and stimulate pro‐environment behaviors in wildlife species range countries (Brewer, ; Kling & Hopkins, ).…”

“…Demonstrating that program contents (and hence both financial and staff investment) leads to increased knowledge and eventually to pro‐conservation behavior is fundamental but can be challenging. Researchers most commonly use before (pre‐) and after (post‐) program evaluations to test whether such predicted change actually occurs (Bettinger, Kuhar, Lehnhardt, Cox, & Cress, ; Borchers et al, ; Kling & Hopkins, ; Kuhar et al, , ; Richter et al, ). But knowledge and attitudes are likely to differ between target audiences.…”

Evidence-based conservation education in Mexican communities: Connecting arts and science

“…CE programs have been reported to change people's perceptions, knowledge and behaviors; thus, they are considered a key element of primate conservation initiatives [12]. Nonetheless, in indigenous communities it is important to consider different approaches from the postdevelopment concepts (e.g.…”

“…Because most primates live in tropical regions, where low-income nations predominated, primate conservation programs usually take place in socio-economic contexts characterized by high poverty levels, limited funding opportunities, political instability and corruption [11]. In the face of these challenges, successful primate conservation requires a multidisciplinary approach that needs to be nourished by theory and practice from, at least, the fields of biology, anthropology, psychology, economics, and education [12]. Then, integrating the natural and social sciences might influence positively that decision-making during planning, implementation and management are guided by the best available information [13].…”

The psychology of community-based conservation programs: A case study of the Sumatran orangutan

“…Studies have been conducted on the efficacy of environmental education in rural Madagascar but have focused on knowledge and attitudes as outcomes (Rakotonmamonjy et al 2015). However, more thorough evaluations of participant behaviour rather than attitude or knowledge outcomes are required, as identified in primate conservation education programs (Kling & Hopkins 2015). Improvements are called for in evaluation strategies to understand if environmental education activities produce desired outcomes (Flowers 2010).…”