Subscribe to our quarterly email newsletter to receive updates, new publications and other news
Behaviour change & social marketing
Guidance Documents
Behaviour change for conservation online course (2020). (TRAFFIC) External resource
Behavior change for nature: a behavioral science toolkit for practitioners (2019). (Rare and The Behavioural Insights Team) External resource
Global consensus on social marketing principles, concepts and techniques (2017). (European Social Marketing Association) Download
Tackling environmental problems with the help of behavioural insights (2017). (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) External resource
The principles of pride: the science behind the mascots (2013). (Butler, P., Green, K. & Galvin, D.) Download
Social marketing: influencing behaviors for good quick reference guide (2012). (Lee, N. & Kotler, P.) External resource
Big pocket guide to using social marketing for behaviour change (2011). (National Social Marketing Centre) External resource
Tools of engagement: a toolkit for engaging people in conservation (2011). (National Audubon Society) Download
Key Papers
Baruch-Mordo, S., S. W. Breck, K. R. Wilson, and J. Broderick. 2009. A tool box half full: how social science can help solve human–wildlife conflict. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14:219-223. External resource
Brennan, L., and W. Binney. 2010. Fear, guilt, and shame appeals in social marketing. Journal of business Research 63:140-146. External resource
Byerly, H., A. Balmford, P. J. Ferraro, C. Hammond Wagner, E. Palchak, S. Polasky, T. H. Ricketts, A. J. Schwartz, and B. Fisher. 2018. Nudging pro-environmental behavior: evidence and opportunities. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 16:159-168. External resource
Cinner, J. 2018. How behavioral science can help conservation. Science 362:889. External resource
Corner, A., and A. Randall. 2011. Selling climate change? The limitations of social marketing as a strategy for climate change public engagement. Global Environmental Change 21:1005-1014. External resource
Douglas, L. R., and D. Veríssimo. 2013. Flagships or battleships: deconstructing the relationship between social conflict and conservation flagship species. Environment and Society 4:98-116. External resource
Duthie, E., D. Veríssimo, A. Keane, and A. T. Knight. 2017. The effectiveness of celebrities in conservation marketing. Plos One 12:e0180027. Download
Freeman, S., B. D. Taff, Z. D. Miller, J. A. Benfield, and P. Newman. 2021. Mutualism wildlife value orientations predict support for messages about distance-related wildlife conflict. Environmental Management. External resource
Freeman, S., B. Lawhon, P. Newman, and B. Derrick Taff. 2021. Food storage on the Appalachian trail: a theory of planned behavior approach to understanding backpacker bear canister use. Journal of Interpretation Research 26:73-95. External resource
Lu, H., W. F. Siemer, M. S. Baumer, D. J. Decker, and A. Gulde. 2016. Effects of message framing and past experience on intentions to prevent human–coyote conflicts. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 21:506-521. External resource
McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2000. Fostering sustainable behavior through community-based social marketing. American psychologist 55:531-537 External resource
McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2000. New ways to promote proenvironmental behavior: promoting sustainable behavior: an introduction to community-based social marketing. Journal of Social Issues 56:543-554. External resource
McKenzie-Mohr, D., and P. W. Schultz. 2014. Choosing effective behavior change tools. Social Marketing Quarterly 20:35-46. External resource
Nesbitt, H. K., A. L. Metcalf, A. A. Lubeck, E. C. Metcalf, C. Beckman, A. P. Smith, and T. M. Cummins. 2021. Collective factors reinforce individual contributions to human-wildlife coexistence. The Journal of Wildlife Management. External resource
Nilsson, D., G. Baxter, J. R. A. Butler, and C. A. McAlpine. 2016. How do community-based conservation programs in developing countries change human behaviour? A realist synthesis. Biological Conservation 200:93-103. External resource
Nilsson, D., K. Fielding, and A. Dean. 2019. Achieving conservation impact by shifting focus from human attitudes to behaviors. Conservation Biology External resource
Perry, L. R., E. A. Macdonald, T. Moorhouse, P. J. Johnson, A. J. Loveridge, and D. W. Macdonald. 2021. Social referents and normative standards affect perceptions of livestock management behaviors. Human Dimensions of Wildlife:1-16. External resource
Perry, L. R., T. P. Moorhouse, L. Sibanda, S. L. Sompeta, D. W. Macdonald, and A. J. Loveridge. 2020. Everyone is normal: consistent livestock management norms and demographic clusters in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Conservation Science and Practice n/a:e313. Download
Rothschild, M. L. 1999. Carrots, sticks, and promises: a conceptual framework for the management of public health and social issue behaviors. Journal of Marketing 63:24-37. External resource
St John, F. A. V., G. Edwards-Jones, and J. P. G. Jones. 2010. Conservation and human behaviour: lessons from social psychology. Wildlife Research 37:658-667. External resource
Veríssimo, D. 2013. Influencing human behaviour: an underutilised tool for biodiversity management. Conservation Evidence 10:29-31. Download
Books and book chapters
McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2011. Fostering sustainable behavior: an introduction to community-based social marketing (Third Edition). New Society Publishers. External resource