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Conservation of biodiversity is above all else an exercise in human persuasion. Human behavior drives all substantive threats to biodiversity; therefore, influencing it is the only path to mitigating the current extinction crisis. We review the literature across three different axes to highlight current evidence on influencing human behavior for conservation. First, we look at behavioral interventions to mitigate different threats, from pollution and climate change to invasive species and human disturbance. Next, we examine interventions focused on different stakeholders, from voters, investors, and environmental managers to consumers, producers, and extractors. Finally, we review delivery channels, ranging from mass and social media to interventions involving changes to the physical environment or carried out in person. We highlight key gaps, including the lack of scale and robust impact evaluation of most interventions, and the need to prioritize behaviors, overcome the reproducibility crisis, and deal with inequality when designing and implementing behavior change interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife overexploitation is a significant challenge in biodiversity conservation. Regulation can enforce consumer behavior change to be biodiversity-friendly but also cause unintended negative impacts. A quantitative investigation of consumer preference for alternative goods is needed before the regulation intervention. This study focused on the case of Japanese eels, whose population was declining due to commercial fishery and overfishing, and aimed to clarify potential alternative choices if ban regulations are issued. This study employed a best-worst scaling technique. Our analysis identified two consumer groups; approximately 30 % of consumers (the Potential Illegal group) preferred to select illegal eel consumption as their second-best preference. The Potential Illegal group tends to contain males, younger, and people who eat eels once or more annually, in comparison to the other group. Our findings can contribute to setting effective regulations as useful information about potential consumer choice changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Message framing contributes to an increase in public support for invasive species management. However, little is known about people's preferences for the multiple objectives of management within different contexts relating to the challenges and benefits of invasive species management. We examine Japanese citizens' preferences for the goals of free-roaming unowned cat (Felis catus) management in three contextual frames by applying experimentally controlled information and the best–worst scaling technique. Our results indicate that the ecological frame highlighting the ecological impacts of free-roaming unowned cats on native ecosystems significantly increases Japanese citizens' concern about cat predation, although the frame did not change the preference ranking of goals. There are differences in the effects of message framing depending on cat ownership. The best–worst scaling technique shows that Japanese citizens prefer to maintain a sanitary environment, followed by the prevention of zoonotic diseases. Although the ranking of sanitary environmental management does not depend on cat ownership, the ranking of the other goals differs depending on cat ownership. The findings highlight the importance of strategic message framing and its prioritization in encouraging public support for invasive species management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abandonment of irrigated paddy land has increased in Japan, which can cause a decline in food security and biodiversity. Despite the importance of individual decisions, most studies have only examined regional or community-based determinants of paddy land abandonment. This study aimed to uncover the socio-economic determinants affecting individual landowners' decisions to abandon paddy land, using Japanese agricultural census data (2005, 2010, and 2015) composed of over one million unique paddy landowners. Results showed that low agricultural benefits are a key driver of abandonment, similar to European countries. Conversely, there is a positive correlation between the population of full-time cultivators in a household and paddy land abandonment, which contradicts previous evidence. Although some mosaics of socio-ecological landscapes with high biodiversity formed through long-term human influence (i.e., the Satoyama landscapes) are less-favored agricultural areas, the paddy land in some of these landscapes tends not to be abandoned. These findings support effective policymaking that balances biodiversity conservation and the provision of agroecosystem services in semi-natural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Integrating the benefits associated with biodiversity into market mechanisms can play an important role in conservation practice. Food labeling is a widely used measure that highlights biodiversity conservation benefits to the market. However, few studies have explored the effects of labels on staple agricultural products that are associated with agro‐ecosystem conservation. We evaluated the biodiversity price premium of wildlife‐friendly rice by analyzing data from retail stores in Japan. The results showed a significant positive impact of biodiversity‐relevant labels on rice prices. Specifically, rice with this type of labeling had about 20% price premium as compared with rice that did not. The results also showed that outcome‐based certifications have the potential to work well in the market. The findings highlight the role of conservation marketing in agro‐ecosystem conservation and its potential to help balance biodiversity conservation and food security. We evaluated the biodiversity price premium of wildlife‐friendly rice by analyzing data from retail stores in Japan. The results showed a significant positive impact of biodiversity‐relevant labels on rice prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People are becoming less likely to experience nature, as we become an increasingly urban society. This progressive disengagement of humans from the natural world, “extinction of experience”, has been viewed both as a key public health issue and one of the most fundamental obstacles to halting global environmental degradation. However, while the existence and significance of the phenomenon are generally agreed upon, it remains surprisingly poorly documented, particularly at large scales and over the longer-term. Here, we report the findings from a web-based questionnaire survey ( n  = 1147) to assess the extent of people’s childhood experiences with neighborhood flowering, plants, one of the most popular and visible group of organisms, in Japan. Results showed that people’s levels of childhood experiences with neighborhood flowering plants were positively related to their age: older participants, compared to younger ones, reported higher frequencies of childhood experiences with neighborhood flowering plants. The reported number of neighborhood flowering plant species that participants have directly experienced during childhood was also higher for older participants. Among the 21 flowering plant species we investigated, age-related decline in direct experiences during childhood was observed for 9 species, particularly for those that depend on grasslands (an ecosystem that has been in dramatic decline over the last few decades). Participants’ age and childhood environment (urban vs. rural settings) also had significant effects on their levels of childhood nature experiences. Overall, our results suggest that children’s direct connection to neighborhood biodiversity is indeed progressively dwindling, which can have serious implications for public health and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate differences in consumer preferences for flagship species labels. • Attractive flagship species labels to consumers are different among groups. • Satoyama landscape labels are not attractive to over a half of respondents. • Chemical free statement has price premiums in all groups. Wildlife-friendly labels play an essential role in the enhancement of sustainable food production and consumption. Although evidence in conservation marketing shows the critical role of flagship species in public awareness, few studies have explored their relevant effects on wildlife-friendly labels in terms of staple agricultural products. Therefore, we conducted a choice experiment involving Japanese consumers to understand which flagship species label attracts consumers the most: the Daruma pond frog, the Black crowned-night heron, or the Japanese pond loach. Results show that on average, the Black crowned-night heron labels are the most attractive to consumers. The labels can be potentially sold at a price premium of above USD 30 in comparison to conventional rice. However, there is preference heterogeneity associated with the flagship species. For example, a group may have higher willingness to pay for fish than for a bird. This study also shows that chemical-free labels obtain higher price premiums from all segments despite heterogeneity. The findings highlight the role of the choice of flagship species on wildlife-friendly labels. Furthermore, this study indicates the importance of private benefit dimensions of wildlife-friendly rice. We believe that our study contributes to developing well-designed wildlife-friendly labels to help balance biodiversity conservation and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife-friendly food labels are used to reduce information asymmetry and thus enhance agrobiodiversity conservation via marketing mechanisms. The labels make different claims depending on the certification requirements and conservation targets. However, little is known about consumer preferences for the different claims on the labels. Here, we evaluated consumer preferences for wildlife-friendly labels, with a focus on input- and outcome-based claims, by applying a choice experiment. Our results showed that consumers preferred fish labels with outcome claims to those with input claims; in contrast, consumer utility was not increased by outcome claims but by input claims in bird labels. The differences in preferences for certification requirements and for flagship species highlight the importance of strategic certification and labelling in encouraging people to conserve biodiversity. Our empirical evidence provides insights to balance biodiversity conservation with food security through conservation marketing. [Display omitted] • We assessed consumer preferences for wildlife-friendly outcome and input labels. • Both certification type and flagship species affect consumer preference for labels. • Consumers preferred input-based bird labels the most. • Consumers preferred fish labels with outcome claims to those with input claims. • Differing preferences for labels indicate the importance of strategic labelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For successful protected area (PA) management, it is essential to understand residents' perceptions during the early phases of the designation process. However, most studies on residents' perceptions have been conducted after PA designation due to the lack of researcher–policymaker cooperation. In this study, we reveal residents' perceptions before the PA designation of Japan's Amami Islands as a national park and a Natural World Heritage Site. We conducted a questionnaire survey using an open-ended question to collect textual answers on residents' perceptions of nature and the local economic activities. We then categorized these answers into six topics by applying topic models and interpreted the topics qualitatively, indicating their content. We also examined the relativity of the topics and the islands using correspondence analysis. The residents were more interested in the landscapes relevant to their livelihoods and expected them to be managed. This result implies discrepancy between residents' perceptions and the PA draft management plan because the draft plan mainly focuses on the conservation of biodiversity in subtropical rainforests, whereas residents were unfamiliar with this. With regard to the local economic activities, residents expected enhancement of agriculture and traditional craft industries and nature-based tourism. Furthermore, residents' perceptions were probably influenced by the context of the islands on which they lived. We suggest adoption of suitable PA management and communication strategies for each island in view of residents' perceptions. Our approach has enabled us to understand residents' perceptions that have been disregarded through the PA designation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]