CONSERVATION AND BEHAVIOR

CONSERVATION AND BEHAVIOR 

I recently had a talk with a senior county government official in Kenya on why it is paramount for the government to pay more attention to environmental conservation. The current Kenyan constitution has decentralized most of government functions to its devolved structures. One of such functions is environmental conservation  

To my surprise, he told me that there are more important issues to take care of than environment. He cited insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and food, water deficiency among others.

Getting such sentiments from a learned chap mandated to make policies aimed at changing fortunes of many citizens is regrettable to many but to me it was an eye opener to one of the challenges conservationists face.

Most people think that environmental challenges are more severe globally than locally leading them to rank environmental degradation as a lower priority than more salient threats such as terrorism, poor economic conditions, and diseases e.t.c

One very important question that remains unanswered is how are we going to guarantee food and water security without taking care of our biodiversity? Most industries get their raw materials either directly or indirectly from the natural world. Scramble for these resources is a major threat to security both at national and international levels. 

Robert Redford once said, “I think the environment should be put in the same category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?”

The major menaces to our environment are our own activities which form our behavior. We tend to perceive ourselves as separate from nature.

Serious conservation initiative must start with behavior change. According to Mascia and others (2003), environmental conservation is human endeavor initiated by humans, designed by humans and intended to modify human behavior.

So how can we modify behavior change? Most people will emphasize the need for education. But does education really induce behavior change? Yes, education can induce behavior change but education alone cannot prompt change in behavior.

According to McKenzie-Mohr and others, motivation is a driving force behind behavior change. Efforts to educate the public and raise awareness must include motivational elements that is, a reason for action.

We can encourage motivation for example by attaching economic value to trees. People are more likely to plant more trees if they see direct rewards in them.

Lastly, it is important to note that behavior change and conservation often involves a level of cost or sacrifice to an individual such as reducing consumption or abstaining from a previous behavior.

Kenfrey Kipchumba Katui

The writer; a Sociologist and Environmentalist is the founder and the Executive Director of Scope Intervention