The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery
Encouraging people’s pro-environmental behaviors is an objective of Education for Sustainable Development. In the context of small-scale fisheries, unsustainable fishing practices are compromising the integrity of coastal communities and ecosystems. Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) is an ecosystem modeling...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.543075/full |
| _version_ | 1819117646635859968 |
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| author | Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Douglas MacMillan Matthias Wolff Achim Schlüter Marie Fujitani Marie Fujitani |
| author_facet | Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Douglas MacMillan Matthias Wolff Achim Schlüter Marie Fujitani Marie Fujitani |
| author_sort | Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Encouraging people’s pro-environmental behaviors is an objective of Education for Sustainable Development. In the context of small-scale fisheries, unsustainable fishing practices are compromising the integrity of coastal communities and ecosystems. Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) is an ecosystem modeling software that presents interactions/changes in the food web as a result of fishing. Despite the multiple applications of EwE in fisheries management, it is unknown from a quantitative perspective whether the application of EwE trophic modeling in environmental education processes and management produces effects on norms and ecological beliefs, and if it alters behavioral intentions of the participants receiving ecosystem modeling information. We conducted a behavior change intervention with gillnet fishers in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, to compare antecedents of pro-environmental behavior between participants who received an ecosystem-based intervention (lectures containing EwE models; treatment) and those who received lectures that didn’t involve EwE (control). Based on theories of environmental psychology, we used a pre–post survey design, to evaluate changes between control/treatment, and to assess the influence of psychometric constructs and fishing characteristics on the behavioral intentions to support sustainable fishing measures and owning a fishing license (revealed behavior). Personal norms and values were significant at explaining management measures’ support, along with some fishing characteristics (e.g., fishing site). Deliberating about possible future scenarios (via EwE-modeling) helped reduce uncertainties, increasing legitimacy and a perceived behavioral control (PBC) to support measures. Currently, licenses in the Gulf aren’t granted under defined ecological criteria, and although altruistic-biospheric values scored highly before the intervention began, due to mistrust and high illegal-unlicensed fishing, fishers may be underestimating how much others care about the environment. Value-oriented and ecosystem-based interventions may assist to effectively redesign the licensing system and encourage fishers to support sustainable measures. Our research indicates the importance of education interventions that teach about the impacts of fishing in the ecosystem while helping participants to perceive themselves as capable of implementing actions (PBC) and expressing biospheric-altruistic values to restore trust. Redirecting human behaviors to reconnect with ecosystem resilience can be a leverage point for sustainability and for the compliance of small-scale fisheries management measures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:36:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b373076bff442a4963476d9aa09696e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:36:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b373076bff442a4963476d9aa09696e2022-12-21T18:37:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452021-02-01810.3389/fmars.2021.543075543075The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale FisheryAstrid Sánchez-Jiménez0Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez1Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez2Douglas MacMillan3Matthias Wolff4Achim Schlüter5Marie Fujitani6Marie Fujitani7Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyFaculty of Biology and Chemistry, Universität Bremen, Bremen, GermanyCentro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa RicaThe Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United KingdomLeibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyLeibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyLeibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyFaculty of Social Sciences, Institute for Geography, University of Bremen, Bremen, GermanyEncouraging people’s pro-environmental behaviors is an objective of Education for Sustainable Development. In the context of small-scale fisheries, unsustainable fishing practices are compromising the integrity of coastal communities and ecosystems. Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) is an ecosystem modeling software that presents interactions/changes in the food web as a result of fishing. Despite the multiple applications of EwE in fisheries management, it is unknown from a quantitative perspective whether the application of EwE trophic modeling in environmental education processes and management produces effects on norms and ecological beliefs, and if it alters behavioral intentions of the participants receiving ecosystem modeling information. We conducted a behavior change intervention with gillnet fishers in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, to compare antecedents of pro-environmental behavior between participants who received an ecosystem-based intervention (lectures containing EwE models; treatment) and those who received lectures that didn’t involve EwE (control). Based on theories of environmental psychology, we used a pre–post survey design, to evaluate changes between control/treatment, and to assess the influence of psychometric constructs and fishing characteristics on the behavioral intentions to support sustainable fishing measures and owning a fishing license (revealed behavior). Personal norms and values were significant at explaining management measures’ support, along with some fishing characteristics (e.g., fishing site). Deliberating about possible future scenarios (via EwE-modeling) helped reduce uncertainties, increasing legitimacy and a perceived behavioral control (PBC) to support measures. Currently, licenses in the Gulf aren’t granted under defined ecological criteria, and although altruistic-biospheric values scored highly before the intervention began, due to mistrust and high illegal-unlicensed fishing, fishers may be underestimating how much others care about the environment. Value-oriented and ecosystem-based interventions may assist to effectively redesign the licensing system and encourage fishers to support sustainable measures. Our research indicates the importance of education interventions that teach about the impacts of fishing in the ecosystem while helping participants to perceive themselves as capable of implementing actions (PBC) and expressing biospheric-altruistic values to restore trust. Redirecting human behaviors to reconnect with ecosystem resilience can be a leverage point for sustainability and for the compliance of small-scale fisheries management measures.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.543075/fullbehavior change interventionssocial psychologyenvironmentally relevant behaviorvalue-belief-norm (VBN) theorytheory of planned behavior (TPB)Costa Rican Pacific |
| spellingShingle | Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Astrid Sánchez-Jiménez Douglas MacMillan Matthias Wolff Achim Schlüter Marie Fujitani Marie Fujitani The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery Frontiers in Marine Science behavior change interventions social psychology environmentally relevant behavior value-belief-norm (VBN) theory theory of planned behavior (TPB) Costa Rican Pacific |
| title | The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery |
| title_full | The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery |
| title_fullStr | The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery |
| title_short | The Importance of Values in Predicting and Encouraging Environmental Behavior: Reflections From a Costa Rican Small-Scale Fishery |
| title_sort | importance of values in predicting and encouraging environmental behavior reflections from a costa rican small scale fishery |
| topic | behavior change interventions social psychology environmentally relevant behavior value-belief-norm (VBN) theory theory of planned behavior (TPB) Costa Rican Pacific |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.543075/full |
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