Conference Agenda

To develop interventions that provide positive outcomes for both people and nature, conservationists need to better understand human behaviour, particularly the factors that influence compliance. However, research in this area is often hindered by the challenging nature of the topic; people are rarely willing to reveal their involvement in illicit acts, meaning it is difficult to collect reliable data. Moreover, conducting research in this area raises a range of ethical and methodological concerns, which if not addressed, can have significant impacts on biodiversity outcomes, as well as human well-being. Here, we provide a broad overview of these challenges and outline how their consideration can help move conservation research, policy, and practice towards more socially just, biodiversity positive agenda.

Illegal fishing threatens fish populations and marine habitats, affecting the livelihoods and food security of coastal communities worldwide. It also undermines conservation and management in large Marine Protected Areas (MPA), such as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) MPA. Despite its designation as a non-fishing MPA, the abundant fish and shark populations of BIOT attract Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing from surrounding countries. To manage this, it is key to understand the social context of non-compliance.

By bringing together a diverse team and building an extensive regional network of researchers, policymakers, government bodies, fisheries managers, and fisher communities, our ongoing project focuses on: gaining behavioural insights on the fishers' non-compliance and deterrence effects; identifying barriers which hinder the implementation of evidence-based enforcement; and exploring actions to reduce the level of illegal fishing in the BIOT and other protected jurisdiction in the Indian Ocean. Overall, we aim to provide critical insights into how to enhance the robustness of MPA management decisions, particularly when illegal behaviour is involved.

Protected areas play a vital role in the long-term protection of global biodiversity and ecosystems. They can generate substantial benefits through mechanisms such as tourism, and the protection of ecosystem services. However, they can also impose significant costs, particularly on those living near their boundaries, and questions concerning the just distribution of costs and benefits remain. Drawing on social psychology we developed a novel psychometric tool measuring levels of perceived costs and benefits of living near protected areas. We investigate the relationships between individuals’ perceived cost and benefit scores, their support for protected area rules and their multidimensional poverty status. Collecting data from people living near protected areas in Tanzania and Indonesia, our results revealed higher levels of poverty are associated with higher perceived costs and lower perceived benefits, and higher perceived benefits are associated with higher support for protected area rules. Our study highlights the importance of ensuring the impacts that conservation policies have on people are evenly distributed and thus socially just, and how this can increase support for conservation policies.

Urgency to save species from extinction has prompted increased focus on law enforcement in conservation, including through militarised approaches and punitive sentencing policies. However, evidence that tough-on-crime policies deter rule-breakers is limited. Moreover, it can contribute to conflict between people and conservation authorities. Rule-breaking in conservation ranges from small-scale transgressions to organised crimes targeting high-value commodities, with considerable resource focused on the former, particularly in protected area contexts of highly biodiverse countries. However, limited attention has been given to enforcer-citizen encounters and their potential to generate support for conservation. Gathering data from >600 residents living around the Rungwa-Ruaha ecosystem, we investigated how principles of procedural fairness, such as perceptions of ranger behaviour, influences residents’ sense of obligation to comply with protected area rules. Preliminary results indicate that when rangers are perceived to treat citizens fairly and act within the bounds of their authority, respondents are more inclined to comply with protected area rules. Further, contrary to deterrence theory, as the perceived probability of being caught and punished for breaking protected area rules increased, respondents’ reported obligation to comply with rules decreased. Our results emphasise the importance of fair and professional ranger behaviour in encouraging conservation compliance.