Conservation behavior is becoming an increasingly important concept as natural resource managers, development officers, educators, politicians, regulators, and business leaders consider what it takes to nudge people toward sustainable behaviors. Most acknowledge that our behavior plays an important role in creating and resolving environmental challenges. This course will explore what we know about human behavior and apply it to the design of helpful education and communication tools.
Many of the useful theories and models about human behavior come from psychology. We have selected a few of the most popular and relevant to environmental behaviors. Understanding these theories can make our work in education and communication more effective.
This course is geared toward those people who wish to nudge, cajole, persuade, and help shift environmental behavior in their work and personal lives. Whether you wish to become an advocate, an educator, or a choice architect, this course can offer some strategies for thinking about effective efforts to change behavior in formal and informal settings. There are other sections for those who wish to conduct research using these theories. While we will read about a few of these theories, the emphasis will be on applying them in practice, not research.
Dr. Chelsey Crandall is interested in understanding and engaging the human dimensions of fisheries and other natural resources. Her work includes research into the drivers of attitudes and behaviors, as well as experimenting with novel ways to engage stakeholders in management decision-making and citizen science. Prior to her work in human dimensions, Chelsey’s research focused on marine and fisheries ecology, and she did her master’s research working with greater amberjack stock structure in the Gulf of Mexico. Her past work has spanned marine and terrestrial systems (including sea cucumbers, sharks, snakes, and rats), and she enjoys implementing interdisciplinary approaches in her work.
