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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.03.002 Byline: Kelly S. Fielding (a), Deborah J. Terry (b), Barbara M. Masser (b), Prashant Bordia (b), Michael A. Hogg (b) Abstract: Water quality is a key concern in the current global environment, with the need to promote practices that help to protect water quality, such as riparian zone management, being paramount. The present study used the theory of planned behaviour as a framework for understanding how beliefs influence decisions about riparian zone management. Respondents completed a survey that assessed their behavioural, normative, and control beliefs in relation to intentions to manage riparian zones on their property. The results of the study showed that, overall, landholders with strong intentions to manage their riparian zones differed significantly in terms of their beliefs compared to landholders who had weak intentions to manage their riparian zones. Strong intentions to manage riparian zones were associated with a favourable cost-benefit analysis, greater perceptions of normative support for the practice and lower perceptions of the extent to which barriers would impede management of riparian zones. It was also evident that willingness to comply with the recommendations of salient referents, beliefs about the benefits of riparian zone management and perceptions of the extent to which barriers would impede riparian zone management were most important for determining intentions to manage riparian zones. Implications for policy and extension practice are discussed. Author Affiliation: (a) School of Social Work and Applied Human Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia (b) School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia Article History: Received 28 January 2004; Revised 11 February 2005; Accepted 2 March 2005

Fostering nature connection may promote psychological well-being and enhance proenvironmental attitudes. However, there is limited understanding of what factors influence a person's nature connection. Using survey responses from 1,000 residents of a large Australian city, we describe the relationship between nature connection and nature experiences at different stages in life, that is, past nature experiences that occurred during childhood, and current, everyday nature experiences. Both past childhood nature experiences and duration of current nature experiences significantly predicted nature connection. The positive relationship between duration of current nature experiences and nature connection was not significantly moderated by past childhood nature experiences. Hence, current nature experiences are associated with high levels of nature connection, even among those lacking childhood nature experiences. This research empirically demonstrates the positive relationship between nature connection and nature experiences, and suggests that it may be equally important to promote nature experiences at any life stage if increasing nature connection is the goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sizable minority of people doubt that climate change is primarily caused by human activity (“attribution skeptics”). Consequently, it is important to examine the psychological drivers of pro-environmental intentions among attribution skeptics and the extent to which they are more or less influenced by traditional climate change messages. Study 1 (N = 4,345) examined the psychological correlates of motivation to engage in pro-environmental behaviors among people at various points of the spectrum of belief in anthropogenic climate change. As expected, motivation to engage in pro-environmental behaviors is related to risk perceptions and concern about the consequences of climate change. Interestingly, however, these links were stronger the more participants reported being skeptical that climate change is anthropogenic. This suggests that climate change interventions might be especially successful in changing pro-environmental motivation among attribution skeptics, a prediction supported by an experimental intervention (Study 2; N = 600). Theoretical and applied implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has not addressed the possibility that people may face conflicting norms of pro-environmental behavior from their multiple in-groups. Across two studies, the authors test competing hypotheses: People may be demotivated by norm conflict, or conversely, norm conflict may motivate people to action. The results of both studies suggest a clearly motivating effect of conflict. Norm conflict was associated with decreased water usage (i.e., increased water conservation) in Study 1, and increased pro-environmental behavior intentions in Study 2. The effects of conflict were partially mediated by perceived effectiveness in Study 2. Although these initial findings indicate that conflict motivates rather than hinders behavioral engagement, future research should investigate whether the nature of the influence of norm conflict depends on factors such as issue importance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Indigenous peoples living in remote areas are often reliant on Governments for essential services and local economic development opportunities. Collaboration and partnership in resource planning and management is espoused as an approach that can provide multiple benefits for all stakeholders including more robust and long-lasting decisions, relationship-building and trust between government and community members as well as capacity building and empowerment of citizens. In Australia however, little evidence from the remote Indigenous community context is available to inform successful collaborations. This paper presents novel research using thematic analysis of practitioner interviews and document review to analyse the current situation of service-provider- remote community engagement and collaboration for sustainable water and energy management. An adapted typology of Indigenous engagement is applied as an analytical framework, categorising water and energy management initiatives according to four key types, each with varying levels of collaboration and implications for sustainable water and energy. Application of the typology shows that technocratic approaches to community engagement continue to dominate this space as collaborative processes are constrained by a range of institutional, governance, technical and cultural factors. The findings have implications for research, policy and practice, and point to a need for a systemic approach to address barriers and facilitate genuine collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]