Effective conservation behaviours for protecting marine environments: the views of the experts.

Conservation agencies and eco-tourism operators spend considerable effort developing strategies and programs to educate visitors about environmental issues. Typically, these include appeals for individuals to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyles. A review of messages distributed by marine conservation organisations and studies on interpretive tourism experiences on the Great Barrier Reef indicate there are multiple suggestions about which conservation behaviours to adopt. Despite the vast variety of options, research reveals visitors' uptake of conservation behaviours following eco-tourism experiences is low. To contribute to an increase in conservation campaign effectiveness, this study uses a Delphi technique to ascertain the views of a panel of stakeholders who hold significant knowledge, experience and expertise in the health, management and conservation of coral reefs about which conservation behaviours would contribute most towards protecting the Great Barrier Reef and other sensitive marine environments. Initially, the panel identified over 60 actions and behaviours. Further iterations reduced this number to 34 items which were grouped into six categories. The categories ranked as most important were political actions and education. A comparison between expert opinions and current practice is made and implications and recommendations for the future design of reef-based interpretive programs and conservation campaigns are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]