Engaging dog trainers in a city-wide roll-out of koala aversion skill enhancement: a social marketing program

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Accepted Manuscript (AM)
Author(s)
Harris, Jessica A
Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn
David, Patricia
Pang, Bo
Year published
2021
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Show full item recordAbstract
Koalas are an Australian icon, and their existence is under threat. Environmental protection efforts that centre on people are needed, ensuring the human dimension is considered in conservation efforts aiming to protect wildlife. This article reports process and outcome evaluation results for a social marketing program that aimed to reduce dog and koala interactions. This project aimed to leverage pilot study outcomes. Specifically, the program sought to embed koala aversion (the ability for a dog to avoid koalas) skills within one local government area. A total of 2013 dog owners were surveyed to assess program outcomes, ...
View more >Koalas are an Australian icon, and their existence is under threat. Environmental protection efforts that centre on people are needed, ensuring the human dimension is considered in conservation efforts aiming to protect wildlife. This article reports process and outcome evaluation results for a social marketing program that aimed to reduce dog and koala interactions. This project aimed to leverage pilot study outcomes. Specifically, the program sought to embed koala aversion (the ability for a dog to avoid koalas) skills within one local government area. A total of 2013 dog owners were surveyed to assess program outcomes, with improved dog abilities observed following city-wide program implementation. Further evidence of program success was indicated in the process evaluation. Dog trainers and dog owners were satisfied, willing to recommend the program to other people, and they were willing to attend events in future. Lessons learned, implications, limitations of the current study and future directions are outlined.
View less >
View more >Koalas are an Australian icon, and their existence is under threat. Environmental protection efforts that centre on people are needed, ensuring the human dimension is considered in conservation efforts aiming to protect wildlife. This article reports process and outcome evaluation results for a social marketing program that aimed to reduce dog and koala interactions. This project aimed to leverage pilot study outcomes. Specifically, the program sought to embed koala aversion (the ability for a dog to avoid koalas) skills within one local government area. A total of 2013 dog owners were surveyed to assess program outcomes, with improved dog abilities observed following city-wide program implementation. Further evidence of program success was indicated in the process evaluation. Dog trainers and dog owners were satisfied, willing to recommend the program to other people, and they were willing to attend events in future. Lessons learned, implications, limitations of the current study and future directions are outlined.
View less >
Journal Title
Australasian Journal of Environmental Management
Copyright Statement
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in the Australasian Journal of Environmental Management (AJEM), 08 Jul 2021, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2021.1944344
Note
This publication has been entered in Griffith Research Online as an advanced online version.
Subject
Environmental sciences
Human society
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Environmental Studies
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Wildlife conservation