Informing sea turtle outreach efforts to maximize effectiveness

Jessica E. Swindall; Holly K. Ober; Margaret M. Lamont; Raymond R. Carthy

doi:10.1002/wsb.1004

journal article Sep 01, 2019

Informing sea turtle outreach efforts to maximize effectiveness

Jessica E. Swindall Holly K. Ober Margaret M. Lamont Raymond R. Carthy

Wildlife Society Bulletin Vol. 43 No. 3 pp. 436-446 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/wsb.1004

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Most sea turtle (Cheloniidae) species worldwide are endangered or threatened, with threats causing harm to sea turtles predominantly human‐induced. Thus, prevention of further declines to these imperiled species will require alteration of human behaviors. Regulations, incentives, and environmental education are 3 strategies that could be used to alter human behavior. Our goal was to determine how to maximize effectiveness of one of these strategies—education efforts. We investigated knowledge deficiencies and light pollution behaviors of individuals living in a region with nesting sea turtles, in an effort to determine the best approach to promote sea turtle conservation. During 2014, we mailed a survey to 3,000 property owners in 4 coastal counties in Florida, USA, to achieve 3 objectives: assess what topic areas were misunderstood; discern who had knowledge deficiencies; and determine who had adopted turtle‐friendly lighting practices. The best predictors of knowledge included geographic factors (county, proximity of residences to the beach), demographic characteristics (age), and behaviors (individual's beach visitation rates). One practice that can reduce harm to sea turtles was common: use of window treatments to reduce light pollution. However, other practices harmful to sea turtles were prevalent, including long durations of use of outdoor lighting and use of light bulbs with wavelengths that can disturb sea turtles. Our results suggest that educational efforts could be enhanced by specifically focusing on increasing awareness of the effects of human actions on sea turtles, targeting individuals who visit the beach infrequently and live far from it to foster greater connection with these ecosystems, and publicizing a variety of options that could reduce harm to sea turtles so individuals feel a sense of freedom of choice. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

76

[1]

Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys

J. Scott Armstrong, Terry S. Overton

Journal of Marketing Research 10.1177/002224377701400320

[2]

Barshel N. R.Bruce C.Grimm D.Haggitt B.Lichter andJ.McCray.2014. Sea turtle friendly lighting: a model ordinance for local governments.https://www.law.ufl.edu/_pdf/academics/clinics/conservation‐clinic/SeaTurtleFriendlyWholeReport.pdf. Accessed 15 Apr 2019.

[3]

10.1080/08920759109362128

[4]

10.1007/s00227-013-2264-y

[5]

Blocker T. J. "Gender and environmentalism: results from the 1993 General Social Survey" Social Science Quarterly (1997)

[6]

10.1080/08941920.2010.495975

[7]

10.1037/0003-066x.54.3.165

[8]

10.1080/00958969809599114

[9]

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.242

[10]

10.1037/0003-066x.41.5.521

[11]

10.1016/j.ecss.2008.09.022

[12]

2012 SAGE Thousand Oaks California USA R. F. DeVellis Scale development: theory and applications

[13]

Dillman D. A. (2008)

[14]

Dodd C. K. "Synopsis of the biological data on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758)" United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report (1988)

[15]

Attachments to Special Places on Public Lands: An Analysis of Activities, Reason for Attachments, and Community Connections

Brian W. Eisenhauer, Richard S. Kra

Society & Natural Resources 10.1080/089419200403848

[16]

10.1016/j.biocon.2011.07.033

[17]

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission [FFWC] "Statewide nesting beach survey program loggerhead nesting data, 2009–2013" Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (2015)

[18]

10.1016/j.paid.2004.02.015

[19]

10.1002/eap.1386

[20]

Gardner G. T. (1996)

[21]

10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02212.x

[22]

10.1080/03098260500030355

[23]

Hair J. F. (2010)

[24]

10.1080/00958964.1987.9943482

[25]

10.1080/09500690305021

[26]

2016 IBM Armonk New York USA IBM IBM SPSS statistics for Windows Version 24.0

[27]

10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10020570.x

[28]

Jorgenson J. D. andN. P.Nickerson.2016. Attachment to tourism destinations: the role of memory and place attachment.In47thAnnual International Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research Association 15–17 Jun 2016 Vail Colorado USA. University of Massachusetts.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttra/2016/Academic_Papers_Visual/2. Accessed 28 Jan 2019.

[29]

10.1111/1464-0597.00153

[30]

10.1007/s00267-014-0308-9

[31]

10.1017/s0376892914000216

[32]

10.1111/0022-4537.00180

[33]

10.1007/s00267-015-0445-9

[34]

Klineberg S. L. "Demographic predictors of environmental concern: it does make a difference how it's measured" Social Science Quarterly (1998)

[35]

10.1017/s0030605311000147

[36]

Lamont M. M. "Influence of vehicle tracks on loggerhead hatchling seaward movement along a northwest Florida beach. Florida Field" Naturalist (2002)

[37]

10.1111/j.1467-9272.2007.00615.x

[38]

10.1080/13504622.2012.697545

[39]

10.1007/s10603-011-9179-0

[40]

10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.10.022

[41]

10.1016/j.jnc.2013.11.005

[42]

2011 New Society Gabriola Island British Columbia Canada D. McKenzie‐Mohr Fostering sustainable behavior

[43]

10.1016/j.trd.2016.04.012

[44]

1999 New Society Publishers Gabriela Island British Columbia Canada M. Monroe What works: a guide to environmental education and communication programs for practitioners and donors

[45]

National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [NMFS and USFWS].1991. Recovery plan for U.S. population of Atlantic green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Washington D.C. USA.

[46]

National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [NMFS and USFWS].1992. Recovery plan for leatherback turtles in the U.S. Caribbean Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Washington D.C. USA.

[47]

National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [NMFS and USFWS].1993. Recovery plan for the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the U.S. Caribbean Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Washington D.C. USA.

[48]

National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [NMFS and USFWS].2008. Recovery plan for the Northwest Atlantic population of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Washington D.C. USA.

[49]

National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [NMFS and USFWS].2011. Bi‐national recovery plan for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). Washington D.C. USA.

[50]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA].2017. Shoreline website.https://shoreline.noaa.gov/. Accessed 15 Apr 2019.

Showing 50 of 76 references

Metrics

6

Citations

76

References

Details

Published: Sep 01, 2019
Vol/Issue: 43(3)
Pages: 436-446
License: View

Authors

J

Jessica E. Swindall

Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida P.O. Box 110430 Gainesville FL 32611 USA

H

Holly K. Ober

Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida 155 Research Road Quincy FL 32351 USA

M

Margaret M. Lamont

U.S. Geological Survey Wetland and Aquatic Research Center 7920 NW 71st Street Gainesville FL 32653 USA

R

Raymond R. Carthy

U.S. Geological Survey Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit P.O. Box 110485 Gainesville FL 32611 USA

Cite This Article

Jessica E. Swindall, Holly K. Ober, Margaret M. Lamont, et al. (2019). Informing sea turtle outreach efforts to maximize effectiveness. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 43(3), 436-446. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1004

Informing sea turtle outreach efforts to maximize effectiveness

You May Also Like