Training Programmes Can Change Behaviour and Encourage the Cultivation of Over-Harvested Plant Species

Cultivation of wild-harvested plant species has been proposed as a way of reducing over-exploitation of wild populations but lack of technical knowledge is thought to be a barrier preventing people from cultivating a new species. Training programmes are therefore used to increase technical knowledge to encourage people to adopt cultivation. We assessed the impact of a training programme aiming to encourage cultivation of xaté (Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti), an over-harvested palm from Central America. Five years after the training programme ended, we surveyed untrained and trained individuals focusing on four potential predictors of behaviour: technical knowledge, attitudes (what individuals think about a behaviour), subjective norms (what individuals perceive others to think of a behaviour) and perceived behavioural control (self assessment of whether individuals can enact the behaviour successfully). Whilst accounting for socioeconomic variables, we investigate the influence of training upon these behavioural predictors and examine the factors that determine whether people adopt cultivation of a novel species. Those who had been trained had higher levels of technical knowledge about xaté cultivation and higher belief in their ability to cultivate it while training was not associated with differences in attitudes or subjective norms. Technical knowledge and perceived behavioural control (along with socio-economic variables such as forest ownership and age) were predictors of whether individuals cultivate xaté. We suggest that training programmes can have a long lasting effect on individuals and can change behaviour. However, in many situations other barriers to cultivation, such as access to seeds or appropriate markets, will need to be addressed

Threats of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing to biodiversity and food security in the Republic of the Congo

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordIllegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing poses a major threat to effective management of marine resources, impacting biodiversity and communities dependent on these coastal resources. Spatio-temporal patterns of industrial fisheries in developing countries are often poorly understood, with global efforts describing spatial patterns of fishing vessel activity currently based on automatic identification system (AIS) data. However, AIS is often not a legal requirement on fishing vessels, likely resulting in underestimates of the scale and distribution of legal and illegal fishing activity, which could have significant ramifications for targeted enforcement efforts and the management of fisheries resources. To help address this knowledge gap, we analysed three years of vessel monitoring system (VMS) data in partnership with the national fisheries department in the Republic of the Congo to describe the behaviour of national and distant water industrial fleets operating in these waters. We reveal the spatial footprint of the industrial fisheries fleet encompasses over one quarter of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with an average of 73% of fishing activity taking place on the continental shelf (waters shallower than 200 m). In addition, our findings highlight that VMS is not acting as a deterrent or being effectively used as a pro-active management tool, with as much as 33% (13% on average) of fishing effort occurring within prohibited areas set aside to protect biodiversity, including artisanal fisheries resources; with the distant water fleet (DWF) responsible for as much as 84% of this illegal activity. Given the growth in industrial and distant water fleets across the region, as well as low levels of management and enforcement, these findings highlight that there is an urgent need for the global community to help strengthen regional and national capacity to analyse national scale datasets if efforts to combat IUU fishing are to be effective.Darwin InitiativeWaterloo FoundationWAITT Foundatio

AWARENESS AND WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR ORGANIC VEGETABLES AMONG FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

The aim of the study was to analyze awareness and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic vegetables among households in Anambra State, Nigeria. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages, and Contingent Valuation Method. One hundred and forty (140) respondents were utilized for the study but with a valid response rate of 85.7 percent to give one hundred and twenty (120) respondents sampled from the study area using multistage sampling procedure. Data used for the research was obtained with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. The most commonly consumed vegetables were pumpkin (59.17%), garden egg (28.33%), cucumber (8.33%) and amaranth (4.17%). The respondents were aware (95.83%) of the health benefits of organic vegetables and also aware (71.7%) of environmental effects of using inorganic fertilizer for vegetable production. In the WTP for organic vegetables, it was observed that 21.7% of the respondents were not WTP for organic garden egg, while 78.3% of the respondents were WTP a premium for a kg of organic garden egg. About 8.3% of the respondents were not WTP for organic pumpkin while 91.7% of them were WTP a premium for organic pumpkin. The analysis showed that in households WTP for organic garden egg, factors such as age, health, education, and awareness were significant, while WTP an amount was also significantly influenced by the same set of variables. Also, while willingness to pay for organic pumpkin was significantly influenced by health, education and awareness, WTP an amount was significantly influenced by health, education and awareness. There is need for public awareness by the media and organic Non- Government Organizations to create more programmes that will educate consumers on the health and environmental advantages of organic farming and consumption patterns over conventional practices. With this, more consumers will be willing to pay a premium for organic vegetables