Abstract
Natural resource management can struggle with increased visitation that inadvertently deteriorates the environment. In Aotearoa New Zealand, visitors to kauri forests are spreading a lethal soil pathogen resulting in cultural and conservation risk. While public awareness of kauri dieback disease is growing, compliance at hygiene stations has not similarly increased. To overcome this apparent knowledge-behaviour gap, five interventions (ambassadors, normative messaging, watching eye effect, hazard perception, and pledge board) were evaluated for their impact on visitor compliance with footwear/equipment cleaning behaviour. Behavioural observations (n = 10,536) and intercept surveys (n = 3,061) were collected. Ambassadors resulted in increased compliance for both visitors and local trail users. The pledge board resulted in increased compliance for local trail users only and normative message increased compliance at one visitor site. Hazard perception and watching eye resulted in a decrease in compliance behaviour. This research demonstrates the need for careful assessment of interventions designed to mitigate the impacts of visitors to conservation areas. The success of the ambassador intervention, the pledge board for locals and, to a lesser extent, the normative message at one location, offer field-based empirical evidence supporting the use of social norms in communication approaches aimed at influencing visitor behaviour in natural resource settings.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Te Roroa iwi for their support and advice regarding their ‘Kauri Ambassador’ program. Thanks to Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) for the funding of an initial meeting of behavioural scientists to consider the challenges. In attendance was Catherine Zangger, Auckland Council; Fabien Medvecky, Otago University; Margaret Trotter, WSP Opus Research (now at Waka Kotahi); Diane Fraser, Unitec, Michael Harbrow, DOC; Jovana Balanovic, DOC; Chris Green, DOC.
Disclosure statement
The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
J. P. Aley
Joanne Aley is a Science Advisor, Social Research at the Department of Conservation, New Zealand. Her research is focused on the interaction of humans with threatened flora and fauna, predominantly in conservation settings, with a particular focus towards behavioural insights.
S. Espiner
Stephen Espiner is an Associate Professor in Parks, Recreation and Tourism at Lincoln University, New Zealand. His research is focussed on the human dimensions of natural resources management and environmental change, with particular reference to protected areas, outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism and associated conservation, community and visitor management issues.
E. MacDonald
Dr. Edy MacDonald has a strong background in using psychological frameworks to facilitate behavior change for environmental gains. She has worked on a diverse range of projects such as cat and dog owner behavior, public opinion of novel pest control technologies, disaster preparedness behaviors, and purchasing sustainable timber. Edy has been a champion of the applied use of research and founded the Social Science Team at New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. Dr. MacDonald currently resides in California and is working on climate change research.