Anglers need tailored messaging to inspire action on invasive species

Anglers need tailored messaging to inspire action on invasive species

3 years ago
Anonymous $BH0TGXkyPe

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211018105915.htm

Lakeside education campaigns discourage anglers from transporting aquatic hitchhikers between lakes, but new research from the University of Illinois and Cornell University shows those campaigns are less effective than they could be. According to the study, the key could be tailoring messaging in accordance with anglers' value systems and risk perceptions.

"Social science research is very underrepresented in fisheries management, but it's important. We need to make management decisions based, in part, on how people think and feel, and more importantly, what gets them to take action. Too often, we leave that part out and focus solely on the affected ecosystems and other organisms. But human behavior needs to be part of the equation," says Carena van Riper, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) at U of I.