Pearson Elissa L, Lowry Rachel, Dorrian Jillian, Litchfield Carla A
School of Psychology, Social Work & Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
Zoo Biol. 2014 May-Jun;33(3):184-96. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21120. Epub 2014 Feb 17.
With significant biodiversity loss occurring presently, increased emphasis is being placed upon the capacity of zoos to contribute to species conservation. This paper evaluates an innovative conservation education campaign 'Don't Palm Us Off' implemented at Melbourne Zoo, Australia. This sought to address a lack of public awareness regarding palm oil (the product most threatening the survival of the orang-utan) and to create public support for mandatory labeling of palm oil on food products, allowing for informed consumer purchasing. Communication tools utilized included an educational video presentation played on-site, as well as You Tube video, celebrity ambassadors, and social media. Evaluation took place across four time-points: baseline, mid-point, conclusion (12 months), and follow-up. Zoo visitors (N = 403) were randomly selected whilst visiting the orang-utan exhibit, completing a questionnaire regarding knowledge about orangutans, attitudes toward orangutans, support for palm oil labeling, previous conservation behavior, and intentions for future behavior. Results revealed significant increases in palm oil awareness; attitudes toward orangutans; support for palm oil labeling; and indicating labeling would influence purchasing behavior, at all times relative to baseline (P < 0.01). There were also significant increases in self-reported conservation behavior at the end of the campaign and follow-up (P < 0.05). In excess of 160,000 people additionally signed an associated petition for mandatory palm oil labeling. Overall the findings support the efficacy of this multi-faceted initiative; highlighting the importance of continued innovation in zoo-based conservation education and practice (including the integration of emerging technologies with traditional on-site education) to maximize contributions to species conservation.
鉴于目前生物多样性正在大幅丧失，人们越来越重视动物园在物种保护方面的能力。本文评估了在澳大利亚墨尔本动物园开展的一项创新型保护教育活动“别敷衍我们”。该活动旨在解决公众对棕榈油（对红毛猩猩生存威胁最大的产品）缺乏认识的问题，并争取公众支持对食品中的棕榈油进行强制标注，以便消费者做出明智的购买选择。所使用的传播工具包括在现场播放的教育视频演示、YouTube视频、名人代言人以及社交媒体。评估在四个时间点进行：基线、中期、结束（12个月）和随访。在游客参观红毛猩猩展区时随机选取动物园游客（N = 403），让他们填写一份问卷，内容涉及对红毛猩猩的了解、对红毛猩猩的态度、对棕榈油标注的支持、以往的保护行为以及未来行为的意向。结果显示，与基线相比，在所有时间点，公众对棕榈油的认识、对红毛猩猩的态度、对棕榈油标注的支持以及表示标注会影响购买行为均显著增加（P < 0.01）。在活动结束时和随访时，自我报告的保护行为也显著增加（P < 0.05）。此外，超过16万人签署了一份关于棕榈油强制标注的相关请愿书。总体而言，研究结果支持了这一多方面举措的有效性；凸显了在基于动物园的保护教育和实践中持续创新（包括将新兴技术与传统现场教育相结合）对于最大限度地为物种保护做出贡献的重要性。
