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Jul
1
2009
The power of peer pressure can aid conservation
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that “peer pressure” or social norms might help convince people to participate in conservation programs.
China’s Wolong Nature Reserve is home to famous giant pandas and also 4,500 farmers, many of whom are enrolled in the country’s “Grain to Green” program, a massive government initiative that pays them to reforest their croplands. The researchers found that farmers weren’t signing up to for the money alone, although the cash was clearly a factor. They were also significantly more likely to re-enroll their lands if their neighbors were doing so.
The effect on farmers’ decisions was greatest when the payment amount was intermediate, whereas for very high or low payments, a simple desire to fit in wasn’t as strong a motivator. The authors say that conservation workers need to leverage this power of social encouragement, especially if it can help make investments more efficiently. – Jessica Leber
Source: Chen, X, et al. 2009. Linking social norms to efficient conservation investment in payments for ecosystem services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0809980106
Image © aantozak, iStockphoto.com
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Jun
28
2009
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Jun
24
2009
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Jun
17
2009
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Jun
12
2009
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Jun
10
2009
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Jun
5
2009
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Jun
4
2009
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May
29
2009
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May
29
2009
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