Short-term conservation education and wildlife viewing program can increase conservation mentality

Ecotourism and wildlife viewing can yield positive conservation results among participants, including increasing awareness and action. However, previous research is mixed in terms of the effectiveness of ecotourism on long-term behavior change. Ecotourism opportunities are increasing and provide a unique arena for environmental education due to the brief but effective nature of such experiences. Research suggests that when natural spaces are being degraded due to human activity, an effective way to combat such destruction is through changing the mentality of the people involved. Specifically, research indicates that educating and involving people in work that preserves and reduces threats toward nature assists in creating a change in mindset and, therefore, in increased conservation. This study focused on a public sea turtle watch program, in which the audience only spent a short time with both the educator and the sea turtles. Specifically, the study measured the short- and long-term effects of this program on participants' attitudes, knowledge, intention to act, and long-term behavior.

This study occurred in Disney's Vero Beach Resort (DVBR) in southern Florida. This area is located within a mile of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which supports a large sea turtle population. DVBR offered visitors a one-hour long conservation-focused environmental education program. The program leader provided background on sea turtle biology, threats to their survival, and actions people can take to assist in sea turtle survival. The session was then followed by an opportunity for visitors to view a loggerhead sea turtle nest her eggs. The viewing was capped at 40 participants per trip and all programs begin at 9:00 p.m. and ended at 1:00 a.m. during loggerhead sea turtle nesting season (June/July). On some occasions, visitors were not able to participate in the turtle viewing if turtles did not nest on that particular evening. In this case, visitors only participated in the informational session. This study gathered data from 37 programs over the course of one year (2013-2014) and assessed 843 adult and family participants who had participated in these programs.

The researchers used multiple surveys to collect data before, after, and following-up from a visit. Researchers distributed a survey prior to the participants' exposure to the one-hour information session. To measure attitude, this survey included 25 multiple choice and ranking questions designed to understand the participants' overall attitude toward nature, conservation, and sea turtles. This survey also measured knowledge by asking participants to complete one open-ended question. After the program, participants completed another survey, which asked a different question to assess knowledge, as well as about participants' intention to act at the end of the program. Specifically, the intention to act questions asked participants to self-assess the degree to which the they took eight possible actions to conserve loggerhead sea turtles. Each question had possible degrees of participation, ranging from “not for me” to “would go out of my way to do.” Participants completed surveys regardless of whether or not they had the opportunity to view sea turtles. The survey data were analyzed through a combination of statistics and identifying frequently used words in participant responses. Finally, to gather information on long-term behavior change, researchers conducted interviews six months after the program with participants who had volunteered to participate on the post-program survey. The intention of these interviews was two-fold: 1) to understand how satisfied participants were with the presentation, and 2) to understand if and what type of conservation actions these visitors had participated in after they had viewed sea turtles at DVBR. Researchers interviewed 163 participants. The interview data were analyzed through noting whether or not respondents had performed any conservation efforts since their participation in the turtle program. Researchers also tallied the number of conservation efforts undertaken by respondents.

Researchers concluded that exposure to this type of program increased the baseline conservation knowledge of participants. Further, researchers concluded that this program also encouraged participants to take action to conserve sea turtles, such as donating to or volunteering for conservation organizations, not walking on the beach at night, or avoiding beach littering. Lastly, three-quarters of respondents who participated in the follow-up interview reported taking an environmental action following participation in the turtle program. A total of 125 respondents reported taking 199 conservation behaviors, including turning off lights near the beach, educating others, and participating in beach cleanups, among others.

Prior to the program, the respondents' attitudes can be generally characterized by an appreciation for nature. Respondents reported enjoying being outdoors and a demonstrated willingness to donate to environmental organizations. However, few had specifically participated in conservation-focused events and few had been on a turtle watch prior to this experience.

This study has some limitations. Researchers noted that the long-term results of exposure to short-term programs is highly dependent upon the previous natural and conservation experiences of the particular person involved. The researchers did not collect extensive data on participants' previous experiences, which may have influenced the results. Due to self-assessment, participants may have over-estimated their conservation behaviors. Lastly, the researchers also experienced difficulty in reaching people for the six-month follow-up interviews.

The researchers recommend coupling wildlife viewing opportunities with information sessions focused on wildlife conservation. The researchers also emphasize the importance of program evaluation to ensure that the program meets the intended conservation mission. Along these lines, the authors state the importance of defining individual conservation success specific to the conservation program. Further, the researchers encourage organizations to create similar programs that bring together tourism and conservation.