Save

Short-term conservation education influences Ugandan adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes and investment decisions

In: Folia Primatologica
Authors:
Michael Bogese Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA

Search for other papers by Michael Bogese in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4539-183X
,
Jackie Y. Ho Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Search for other papers by Jackie Y. Ho in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8517-9240
,
Claire O’Donnell Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA

Search for other papers by Claire O’Donnell in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1383-7720
,
Emily Otali Kibale Forest Schools Program, Kabarole, Uganda

Search for other papers by Emily Otali in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6837-1260
,
Patrick Tusiime Kibale Forest Schools Program, Kabarole, Uganda

Search for other papers by Patrick Tusiime in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6871-396X
,
Elizabeth Ross Kasiisi Project, Lexington, MA 02143, USA

Search for other papers by Elizabeth Ross in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7614-9561
,
Sonya Kahlenberg Kasiisi Project, Lexington, MA 02143, USA

Search for other papers by Sonya Kahlenberg in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5580-6728
,
Zarin Machanda Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA

Search for other papers by Zarin Machanda in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7060-7949
, and
Katherine McAuliffe Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA

Search for other papers by Katherine McAuliffe in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4230-0250
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€36.93

Abstract

Environmental education research methods often focus on measuring changes in people’s attitudes toward conservation. While attitudes are an important indicator of change, it is critical to target incentivised behaviour because conservation efforts often involve behavioural changes that are costly to one’s self (e.g., reducing water use, purchasing pricier alternatives). In the present study, we measured both attitudes and behaviours in a short-term conservation education program near the primate-rich Kibale National Forest in Western Uganda. Adolescents ( N = 59) participated in a three-hour curriculum over three weeks integrated into an after-school wildlife club. After almost 30 years of successful primate conservation education in this region, we chose a novel taxonomic group (bats) for this study. Our pre-registered study had two conditions: an experimental condition, in which students learned about bats as an important local pollinator species, and a control condition, in which students learned about the moon. Only the experimental condition emphasised conservation’s delayed benefits. We compared attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours pre- and post- curriculum. To capture behaviour, we employed an investment task in which participants could invest their own resources in a ‘fund’ to support work relating to bats or the moon, depending on condition. Across both conditions, participants showed positive shifts in attitudes and knowledge from pre- to post-measures and showed increased investments in bat- and moon-related funds. These findings reveal that short-term conservation education influences adolescents’ investment decisions as well as their attitudes and knowledge. Our method can easily be edited for conservation education of any species including endangered primates.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 849 206 28
Full Text Views 34 10 3
PDF Views & Downloads 69 16 2