Hi all,
The organization Rare recently hosted a webinar titled “Emotional Appeals” on how to leverage emotions in behavior change programming to protect wildlife. There were four case studies from the following organizations: Wildlife Conservation Trust in India, Wildlife Conservation Society in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ranas, and Centro para la Investigación de Tiburones (CIT), also known as the Centre for Shark Research in Venezuela.
The Centre for Shark Research had one of the most interesting programs, called “100% Life, 1000% More Income”. Poverty and pressure from foreign traders working in Venezuela have led to local fishers illegally capturing and killing endangered shark species, including whale sharks. Their fins and other parts are then exported to Asia. Although the government established a quota, it remains unenforced. Between 2014 and 2017, at least 21 whale sharks were killed along the Venezuelan coast. This is concerning as whale sharks are keystone species. Their removal dramatically disrupts the marine ecosystems of which they are a part. To address this problem, the Centre for Shark Research began working with local fishing communities to provide them with alternative sources of income.
Venezuela has abundant marine and ecosystem diversity. It is known to have amazing dive sites, including many internationally known spots in Los Roques National Park. As a result, the Centre for Shark Research trained local fishers to take on ecotourism roles, especially as dive guides. They received training, equipment, and new income opportunities in the conservation field. The financial incentives to become dive guides are high. A captured shark would garner $500 split amongst fishers, whereas in the new ecotourism role, a single fisher can make that same amount of money in a few days by offering dive tours to Venezuelan tourists. The financial incentives were not the only motivating factor in this case, however. The Centre for Shark Research also capitalized on feelings of pride, a sense of belonging, and stewardship among the fishers. They did this by showing documentaries and providing in-water experiences to the fishers so they would deeply know, understand, and identify with the ecosystems they would be protecting. In doing so, they transformed the narrative from one where the fishers were considered bad actors to one where they are respected conservation champions.
Results? At this point, over 80 fishers have become licensed dive operators, and in the past few years, illegal shark hunting has declined significantly. There has been only one documented case of whale shark killing in the region, and that took place in a community that had not worked with the Centre for Shark Research.
To view the entire webinar, click here. To read more details about the case study, click here.
The organization Rare recently hosted a webinar titled “Emotional Appeals” on how to leverage emotions in behavior change programming to protect wildlife. There were four case studies from the following organizations: Wildlife Conservation Trust in India, Wildlife Conservation Society in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ranas, and Centro para la Investigación de Tiburones (CIT), also known as the Centre for Shark Research in Venezuela.
The Centre for Shark Research had one of the most interesting programs, called “100% Life, 1000% More Income”. Poverty and pressure from foreign traders working in Venezuela have led to local fishers illegally capturing and killing endangered shark species, including whale sharks. Their fins and other parts are then exported to Asia. Although the government established a quota, it remains unenforced. Between 2014 and 2017, at least 21 whale sharks were killed along the Venezuelan coast. This is concerning as whale sharks are keystone species. Their removal dramatically disrupts the marine ecosystems of which they are a part. To address this problem, the Centre for Shark Research began working with local fishing communities to provide them with alternative sources of income.
Venezuela has abundant marine and ecosystem diversity. It is known to have amazing dive sites, including many internationally known spots in Los Roques National Park. As a result, the Centre for Shark Research trained local fishers to take on ecotourism roles, especially as dive guides. They received training, equipment, and new income opportunities in the conservation field. The financial incentives to become dive guides are high. A captured shark would garner $500 split amongst fishers, whereas in the new ecotourism role, a single fisher can make that same amount of money in a few days by offering dive tours to Venezuelan tourists. The financial incentives were not the only motivating factor in this case, however. The Centre for Shark Research also capitalized on feelings of pride, a sense of belonging, and stewardship among the fishers. They did this by showing documentaries and providing in-water experiences to the fishers so they would deeply know, understand, and identify with the ecosystems they would be protecting. In doing so, they transformed the narrative from one where the fishers were considered bad actors to one where they are respected conservation champions.
Results? At this point, over 80 fishers have become licensed dive operators, and in the past few years, illegal shark hunting has declined significantly. There has been only one documented case of whale shark killing in the region, and that took place in a community that had not worked with the Centre for Shark Research.
To view the entire webinar, click here. To read more details about the case study, click here.
