Is Experience the Best Teacher? Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Wildfire Risk

Spano, Giuseppina; Elia, Mario; Cappelluti, Onofrio; Colangelo, Giuseppe; Giannico, Vincenzo; D’Este, Marina; Lafortezza, Raffaele; Sanesi, Giovanni

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168385

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This may be for the obvious reason that experience is the best teacher and as such respondents with relatively long experience in the CE space would know more about the inner workings of CE than those who are relatively new to the CE space. This result is partially supported by findings by Spano et al (2021) in which they revealed that individuals with significant prior experience had a higher level of subject knowledge on wildfires which was the subject of discussion. Spano et al (2021), however, noted that the extent of knowledge depended on the depth of discussion in that there was no significant difference in knowledge level when more advanced aspects were asked.…”

Section: Stakeholder Roles In the Ce Transitionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…This result is partially supported by findings by Spano et al (2021) in which they revealed that individuals with significant prior experience had a higher level of subject knowledge on wildfires which was the subject of discussion. Spano et al (2021), however, noted that the extent of knowledge depended on the depth of discussion in that there was no significant difference in knowledge level when more advanced aspects were asked. The study also revealed that respondents in higher positions within their organizations as well as those involved in decision-making had more CE knowledge.…”

Section: Stakeholder Roles In the Ce Transitionsupporting

confidence: 63%

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Stakeholder knowledge and perceptions of the circular economy in Ugandan cities

et al. 2023

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Transitioning to a circular economy (CE) has been touted as the necessary paradigm shift to counterbalance the ever-increasing socio-economic metabolism in the face of global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, population growth, pollution, and unemployment. Previous research has indicated that the transition to CE requires stakeholder collaboration. Yet, at present, a dearth of literature exists about stakeholder knowledge and perceptions of CE, more so in Africa. This begs the question; how will stakeholders collaborate when their understanding on the subject is dissimilar? To contribute to closing this knowledge gap, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to investigate the knowledge and perception of CE among key stakeholders in selected cities in Uganda. Interview data from 230 respondents selected via a snowballing process in the Ugandan cities of Gulu, Jinja, Masaka, Mbale, Mbarara and the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area indicate that several stakeholder groups are involved in Uganda's CE space. These include government, businesses, civil society, the public as well as academia, research and think tanks. In terms of CE knowledge, the findings show that respondents were generally knowledgeable about CE. However, much of the knowledge is about the 3Rs (reduce, repair, and recycle) and waste management to the point that many respondents misconstrued recycling to be synonymous with CE. Overall, participant knowledge and perception of CE are determined by the level of education, sector of operation, position at the workplace, how long one has been in the CE space and whether one participated in decision-making. The findings indicate that respondents believe that the government had not done enough in promoting CE concepts and practices including creating avenues for stakeholder collaboration. The findings offer insights for CE proponents on attributes to consider when advocating and communicating about CE. This research could also inform the formulation of policies that stimulate CE development particularly with determining entry points for CE interventions and effective stakeholder engagement.

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Section: Stakeholder Roles In the Ce Transitionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Stakeholder Roles In the Ce Transitionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Stakeholder knowledge and perceptions of the circular economy in Ugandan cities

et al. 2023

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“…Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Wildfire Risk. 2021 [ 53 ]. Examine the impact of direct experience with wildfires on preparedness on the topic of wildfires among individuals.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Wildfire Risk. 2021 [ 53 ]. Italy N = 775 participants; n = 260 with direct wildfire experience, and n = 515 without direct wildfire experience Quantitative study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A scoping review of wildfire smoke risk communications: issues, gaps, and recommendations

Vien,

Ivey,

Boyden

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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Background Wildfire smoke exposure has become a growing public health concern, as megafires and fires at the wildland urban interface increase in incidence and severity. Smoke contains many pollutants that negatively impact health and is linked to a number of health complications and chronic diseases. Communicating effectively with the public, especially at-risk populations, to reduce their exposure to this environmental pollutant has become a public health priority. Although wildfire smoke risk communication research has also increased in the past decade, best practice guidance is limited, and most health communications do not adhere to health literacy principles: readability, accessibility, and actionability. This scoping review identifies peer-reviewed studies about wildfire smoke risk communications to identify gaps in research and evaluation of communications and programs that seek to educate the public. Methods Four hundred fifty-one articles were identified from Web of Science and PubMed databases. After screening, 21 articles were included in the final sample for the abstraction process and qualitative thematic analysis. Ten articles were based in the US, with the other half in Australia, Canada, Italy, and other countries. Fifteen articles examined communication materials and messaging recommendations. Eight papers described communication delivery strategies. Eleven articles discussed behavior change. Six articles touched on risk communications for vulnerable populations; findings were limited and called for increasing awareness and prioritizing risk communications for at-risk populations. Results This scoping review found limited studies describing behavior change to reduce wildfire smoke exposure, characteristics of effective communication materials and messaging, and communication delivery strategies. Literature on risk communications, dissemination, and behavior change for vulnerable populations was even more limited. Conclusions Recommendations include providing risk communications that are easy-to-understand and adapted to specific needs of at-risk groups. Communications should provide a limited number of messages that include specific actions for avoiding smoke exposure. Effective communications should use mixed media formats and a wide variety of dissemination strategies. There is a pressing need for more intervention research and effectiveness evaluation of risk communications about wildfire smoke exposure, and more development and dissemination of risk communications for both the general public and vulnerable populations.

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“…Only providing information related to the risk of forest fire to the public might not help increase awareness or undertake actions (Kumagai et al, 2004;Slovic, 1999). A recent study stated that both experience and perception of the effective mitigation measures can determine the risk perception and their intention while implementing the measures (Spano et al, 2021). Documenting the perceptions of community forest managers will provide essential insights into the state of knowledge and practice on the adoption of different plans and strategies related to forest fire management (Williamson et al, 2005).…”

Section: Parajuli Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

A Strategy for involving community forest managers in effective forest fire management in Nepal

Parajuli

Gautam²,

Sharma

et al. 2022

Banko

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Each year forest fire causes enormous damage to Nepal's forest ecosystems and landscape. For an active community involvement at the landscape level, policymakers must take the interests of local forest managers into account to increase social acceptability. This research explores the perception of community forest managers, who are constantly managing forests at the grassroots level, to understand the relationship between their priorities, needs, and attitudes toward forest fire management. Eighty–eight key informants from six districts were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three major sections, (i) forest fuel management and infrastructure, (ii) forest fire management strategies and actions, and (iii) public education and awareness on forest fire management. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, where the respondents rated above 4.2 out of 5 for activities like increase of insurance mechanisms, providing training for firefighting volunteer groups, and provisioning firefighting equipment. The majority of the respondents agreed on the activities under the forest fire management strategies and actions section (Kendall's Tau = 0.8501), followed by forest fuel management and infrastructure (Kendall’s Tau= 0.6757). We anticipate that the results of this study will be helpful for the local decision–makers in involving different communities and identifying their priorities while implementing various forest fire management activities in diverse landscapes or provinces of the country.

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Is Experience the Best Teacher? Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Wildfire Risk

Cited by 12 publications

References 49 publications

Stakeholder knowledge and perceptions of the circular economy in Ugandan cities

Stakeholder knowledge and perceptions of the circular economy in Ugandan cities

A scoping review of wildfire smoke risk communications: issues, gaps, and recommendations

A Strategy for involving community forest managers in effective forest fire management in Nepal

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