4 pages., via online journal., Given the urgent need to raise public awareness on biodiversity issues, we review the effectiveness of “ecosystem services” as a frame for promoting biodiversity conservation. Since its inception as a communications tool in the 1970s, the concept of ecosystem services has become pervasive in biodiversity policy. While the goal of securing ecosystem services is absolutely legitimate, we argue that it has had limited success as a vehicle for securing public interest and support for nature, which is crucial to securing long-term social mandates for protection. Emerging evidence suggests that focusing on ecosystem services rather than the intrinsic value of nature is unlikely to be effective in bolstering public support for nature conservation. Theory to guide effective communication about nature is urgently needed. In the mean-time, communicators should reflect on their objectives and intended audience and revisit the way nature is framed to ensure maximum resonance.
17 pages., via online journal, By analyzing interview and survey data from U.S. Forest Service
employees, we examined the strategies used for communicating about
climate change within the agency and their effectiveness from the
perspective of agency employees. We found a limited awareness among
employees regarding climate policy. We found that horizontal information
flow through informal social networks was an important way in which
climate-change information was communicated. We also found a lack of
confidence among employees in their ability to provide feedback to
agency leadership. Our results suggest that (1) agency leadership’s ability
to set priorities and deliver positive vision is important for increasing
employee awareness and inspiring actions, (2) the agency could play a
role in facilitating formal and informal networking among employees, and
(3) using advanced information technologies may contribute to information flow horizontally and vertically, formally and informally.
22 pages., via online journal., Water is essential for human life, yet safe drinking water is a limited resource. Critical to fighting the global water crisis are public awareness campaigns, including Public Service Announcements (PSAs). While YouTube has become a popular medium for disseminating prosocial content such as PSAs, environmental communication efforts on this platform remain largely uninvestigated. This study examines the content and characteristics of global water crisis PSAs on YouTube by applying two communication models: the Extended Parallel Process Model, and the Elaboration Likelihood Model. These models are used to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the PSAs. Content analysis reveals that threat messages often outweigh efficacy messages in the videos, central route processing cues are more prevalent than peripheral route cues, and a focus on quality or quantity issues differed by sponsoring organization (non-profit, for-profit, government). Implications and avenues for potential future research are discussed.
Journal currently known as: Crop and Pasture Science, Via CSIRO Journals., There is considerable potential for seasonal to inter-annual climate forecasts derived from dynamic models of the earth’s climate to be used widely to help improve management of important real-world issues in a variety of different areas (e.g. disaster management, agriculture, water management, health, natural resource management, food security, and insurance). Unfortunately, several factors currently inhibit this potential, e.g. low skill, low awareness, mismatches in what model forecasts can provide and what users need, and the complexity and probabilistic nature of the information provided. Substantial effort around the world is currently directed towards reducing these impediments. For example, climate model development continues behind the scenes, and techniques such as multi-model ensemble forecasting are progressing rapidly. Communication strategies that enable probabilistic information to be communicated more effectively have been developed and exciting developments such as the emergence of the Argo float program have dramatically improved our ability to initialise forecast systems. We can also look forward to greater computing power in the future, which will allow us to increase the resolution of the models used to perform forecasts. Research on the integration of climate forecasts with risk-management tools more useful to managers is also occurring.
The great potential for much wider use of climate model forecasting cannot be denied. However, it will only be realised if models continue to be developed further, if climatic variability continues to be closely monitored from the surface, the atmosphere, the ocean, and from space, and if these data are made readily available to the research community.
12 pages., via online journal., This study investigates the role of the different institutional actors involved in the development and implementation of land use policies in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The work is based on interviews with key informants from different administrative levels and these results are compared to the relevant policy documents. While the constitution prescribes a participatory policy development process, our results show that in reality policies are made at the highest level and implemented in a top-down approach from the higher to the lower administrative levels. Moreover, the institutional network mainly consists of institutions that are hierarchically linked, while horizontal and diagonal relations are less common and less important. Consistently, higher level institutions are mostly involved in the development of land use policies, while the roles of lower level institutions are predominantly in the implementation thereof. This lack of participation by lower level institutions, in addition to a lack of capacity and absence of clear institutional mandates, hampers the effectiveness of land use policies. Our results also provide suggestions to improve the development, communication, and eventually the acceptability of land use policies towards sustainable land management.
