Questionnaire design, sampling strategy and preliminary findings: a comparison of the Burdekin and Wet Tropics regions

This report provides a preliminary analysis and comparison of the initial data collected from land managers in the Burdekin and Wet Tropics (WT) regions, mainly in the form of descriptive statistics. It also provides provisional recommendations for key stakeholders regarding possible actions that should be considered in future interactions with land managers. Individual area-specific reports have already been provided to each of the two NRM organisations in whose regions the data was collected. This report combines the findings from the two individual reports to provide a single document comparing findings across the two regions. There were a number of open-ended questions – the responses to these have been collated and are contained in the individual NRM reports. Two questionnaires were developed – one for cane growers and one for graziers. When developing questionnaires, we sought to keep questions similar in each questionnaire wherever possible, to enable comparisons between both groups (e.g. socio-demographics, attitudes and motivations) and between the case study areas (e.g. cane growers in Wet Tropics and cane growers in Burdekin). The final versions of the questionnaire are included as Appendices in Farr et al. (2017a, b). The sample population in the preliminary analysis was obtained from a membership database of cane growers in the Wet Tropics and cane and cattle producers supplied by NQ Dry Tropics (NQDT). Each respondent was allocated a unique identifier that enable the researchers to deidentify the data. The identifier will allow the researchers to track changes in future responses across the three years and to analyse those changes. Insights from the preliminary analysis of data collected in round one show that the respondents: • Have a mature profile - the median age of cane growers is 57 years in the WT and 52 in the Burdekin region. The median age of Burdekin graziers is also 52 years, which is significantly greater than the median age of the Australian population (37 years). • Own or own and manage their property (65 per cent of cane growers in the WT, and 80 per cent of cane growers and 84 per cent of graziers in the Burdekin). • Have lengthy land management experience - (average of 29.2 years in the WT, 18.9 years for graziers and 20.9 years for cane growers in the Burdekin), often following earlier generations on properties: maintaining traditions and heritage is important (63 per cent of cane growers in the WT, and over 50 per cent of cane growers and graziers in the Burdekin indicated this to be of the highest importance). • Do not make decisions in isolation (43 per cent of cane growers in the Wet Tropics, 41 per cent of cane growers and 66 per cent of graziers in the Burdekin) – family / extended family are commonly involved. • Are positive about overall quality of life (91 per cent of cane growers in the Wet Tropics, >90 per cent of cane growers and graziers in the Burdekin). • Have no significant plans to change future practices (>95 per cent of cane growers in the Wet Tropics, 95 per cent of cane growers and 93 per cent of graziers in the Burdekin). • Do not believe their farming practice adversely impacts water quality in local streams, rivers, and waterways (42 per cent of cane growers in the Wet Tropics, 61 per cent of cane growers and 30 per cent of graziers in the Burdekin). • Do not believe that the cane/grazing industry plays a significant role in the declining health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (49 per cent of cane growers in the WT, 66 per cent of cane growers and 39 per cent of graziers in the Burdekin). • Have some tendency to shift the blame related to water quality and the health of the Great Barrier Reef to other industries, organisations and individuals

Key determinants of pro-environmental behaviour of land managers in the agricultural sector: literature review

This report is associated with NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub Project 2.1.3 Harnessing the science of social marketing and behaviour change for improved water quality in the GBR: an action research project. Using insights from the science of social marketing and behaviour change this project aims to aid strategies to: • implement (and test the efficacy of) changes to the marketing and engagement strategy associated with programmes designed to be rolled out under the Reef 2050 Plan • change key behaviours, particularly amongst those who have not previously engaged, to improve water quality (WQ). This document provides an extensive review of the existing literature that relates to proenvironmental behaviour, behaviour change and determinants of pro-environmental behaviour in agricultural settings. There is a specific focus on key determinants of behaviour particularly within the Theory of Planned Behaviour (ToPB) (Section 2.3). It is intended to be read as a supplement to the full Literature Review released prior to the commencement of the first round of data collection (Eagle et al., 2016). The literature review indicated that: • most research in the agricultural sector is about general attitudes towards the environment, best land management practices and perceptions of barriers and enablers to change in land management • there is a need to distinguish between descriptive and injunctive social norms1 which has not been done in agricultural behaviour studies • there is widespread recognition of the various inter-related factors influencing proenvironmental behaviour and affecting adoption of best land management practices • most research assumes a direct relationship between background factors and behaviour but the decision making is more complex • the determinants of behaviour are different depending on theoretical and econometric approaches • there is limited understanding of the relative importance and inter-relations between these factors, particularly for different segments of land managers • appropriate analytical methods and techniques such as structural equation modelling (SEM) or similar are required to analyse such complex relationships between behaviour, intentions, attitudes, norms and other factors • because of the interactive nature of the factors that influence ‘behaviours’ and behaviours related to water quality, there is a possibility (in the future) of creating some kind of pro-water-quality ‘index’ for analysis in the Structural Equation model in addition to individual behaviours which are often measured by binary responses (yes/no) or categorical responses. This is beyond the scope of the existing project. The ToPB has been used for guidance for the development of the surveys used with both cane growers and graziers

Harnessing the Science of Social Marketing and Behaviour Change for Improved Water Quality in the GBR: background review of the literature

This document is intended to provide an extensive review of the existing literature relating to behaviour change, either directly in the agri-environment context, or from wider contexts where findings may then be applied to agri-environmental issues. A specific focus is placed on the use of social marketing approaches, acknowledging the complex range of influences on behaviours and pressures, such as climate change and extreme weather events that are beyond the control of land managers

NESP Project 2.1.3: progress update for harnessing the science of social marketing and behaviour change for improved water quality in the GBR: an action research project

The webinar provides an overview of the first phase of data collection for the NESP Project 2.1.3 which focuses on Harnessing the science of social marketing and behaviour change for improved water quality in the GBR. It is an action research project in that results from early stages of research are used to change programme design for the next period – right across the three years of the project

Harnessing the Science of Social Marketing and Behaviour Change for Improved Water Quality in the GBR: background review of the literature

This document is intended to provide an extensive review of the existing literature relating to behaviour change, either directly in the agri-environment context, or from wider contexts where findings may then be applied to agri-environmental issues. A specific focus is placed on the use of social marketing approaches, acknowledging the complex range of influences on behaviours and pressures, such as climate change and extreme weather events that are beyond the control of land managers

Questionnaire design, sampling strategy and preliminary findings: the Burdekin region

This report focuses firstly on the survey instrument development and the sampling design for this project. It then provides a preliminary analysis of the initial data collected from land managers in the Burdekin region, mainly in the form of descriptive statistics. It also provides provisional recommendations for key stakeholders regarding possible actions that should be considered in future interactions with land managers. Two questionnaires were developed – one for cane growers and one for graziers. When developing questionnaires, we sought to keep questions similar in each questionnaire wherever possible, to enable comparisons between both groups (e.g. socio-demographics, attitudes and motivations) and between the case study areas (e.g. cane growers in Wet Tropics and cane growers in Burdekin). As such, two questionnaires have been developed with identical questions on the first three pages. The remaining questions were similar but relevant to particular behaviours for the grazing and sugar cane industries. The final versions of the questionnaire are included as Appendices 4 and 5. The sample population in the preliminary analysis was obtained from a membership database of cane and cattle producers supplied by NQ Dry Tropics. Each respondent was allocated a unique identifier which enable the researchers to de-identify the data. This identifier will also allow the researchers to track changes in future responses across the three years and to analyse those changes. The preliminary analysis captures only people in the Burdekin region who were already engaged in programs including those that related to water quality improvement as well as other programs in the Burdekin region. Insights from the preliminary analysis of data collected in round one show that the respondents: • Have a mature profile - the median age of cane growers and graziers is 52 years which is significantly greater than the median age of the Australian population (37 years). • Own or own & manage (80% of cane growers and 84% of graziers) their property. • Have lengthy land management experience - (average of 18.9 years for graziers and 20.9 years for cane growers), often following earlier generations on properties: maintaining traditions and heritage is important (over 50% of respondents indicated this to be of the highest importance). • Do not make decisions in isolation – family / extended family are commonly involved. • Are positive about overall quality of life (>90%). • Have no significant plans to change future practices (>90%). • Do not believe their farming practice adversely impacts water quality in local streams, rivers, and waterways (61% of cane growers and 30% of graziers). • Do not believe that the cane/grazing industry plays a significant role in the declining health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (66% of cane growers and 39% of graziers). • Tend to shift the blame related to water quality and the health of the Great Barrier Reef to other industries, organisations and individuals. The findings indicate that there is a need to ‘sell the science’ to gain acceptance of the cause-effect relationship between farming practice and water quality. There is potential to extend the key role of extension officers in potentially influencing increased uptake of best management practices. The main ways in which they can be supported in their interactions with land managers include: • Supporting innovators (‘positive deviants’). • Ensuring that land mangers see their expertise is valued and their voices are heard. • Facilitating sharing of ideas and practices. • Building on the role of farmers whose views are respected as potential information gatekeepers/disseminators/role models. • Ensuring that all persuasive communications are integrated in terms of key messages. • Developing strategies for minimising the impact of competing and conflicting messages. • Incorporating social media strategies as part of an integrated communication strategy that centres on the information channels and platforms used and preferred by land managers. • Incorporate long-term relationship management strategies based on customer relationship management and business to business marketing concepts. • Utilise Social Network Analysis to identify: (a) key information gatekeepers / opinion leaders who may help or hinder information dissemination and innovation uptake, and (b) where individual extension officers may fit into various networks. • Consider the use of farmer typologies in developing resources to aid extension officers in their interactions with land managers. Note: The survey was delivered in both the Dry Tropics and the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, therefore, the survey development and sampling strategy (Section 2) and recommendations (Section 4) of this report include common content with Section 2 and 4 of the Interim report - Questionnaire Design, Sampling Strategy and Preliminary Findings (The Wet Tropics) (Farr et al., 2017b)

Transferring and extrapolating estimates of cost-effectiveness for water quality outcomes: Challenges and lessons from the Great Barrier Reef

In recent decades the declining health of the Great Barrier Reef has led to a number of government policies being implemented to reduce pollutant loads from the adjacent agricultural-based catchments. There is increasing use of cost-effectiveness measures to help prioritise between different programs and actions to reduce pollutants, given limited resources and the scale of the issues. However there are a small number of primary studies available, and the consistency of cost-effectiveness measures and their application is limited, particularly given the various uncertainties that underlie the measures. Unlike Europe and the United States of America water policy or benefit transfer approaches, there are no procedural guidance studies that must be followed in the context of the Great Barrier Reef catchments. In this study we review the use of cost effectiveness estimates for pollutant reduction into the Great Barrier Reef in the context of a benefit transfer framework, where estimates of costs from a particular case study are transferred to various scenarios within different catchments. The conclusions suggest a framework be developed for the Great Barrier Reef, which is consistent, transparent, and rigorous

Questionnaire design, sampling strategy and preliminary findings: the Wet Tropics region

This report focuses initially on the survey development and the sampling design of a survey delivered in the Wet Tropics and the Dry Tropics. It then provides a preliminary analysis of the initial data collected from cane growers in the Wet Tropics. Mainly in the form of descriptive statistics, (the results from the Burdekin region can be found in Farr et al., 2017b). It also provides provisional recommendations for key stakeholders regarding possible actions that should be considered in future interactions with land managers in the Wet Tropics. When developing the questionnaires for cane growers in both the Wet Tropics and in the Burdekin region, the questions were kept similar wherever possible, to enable comparisons between the case study areas (e.g. cane growers in Wet Tropics and cane growers in Burdekin). The final version of the questionnaire is included as Appendix 1. The sample population in the preliminary analysis was obtained from a membership database of cane producers supplied by Terrain NRM. Each respondent was allocated a unique identifier to de-identify the data. The unique identifier will also allow the research team to track changes in responses across the three years and to analyse those changes. The preliminary analysis captures people in the Wet Tropics region who are/have been engaged or partially engaged in water quality improvement or any other programs in the Wet Tropics (93.2%) and those who are not or have not been engaged in water quality or any other programs in the Wet Tropics region in the last 5 years (6.8%). The insights from the preliminary analysis of the initial data collected in round one show that the growers: • Have a mature profile - the median age of cane growers is 57 years, which is significantly greater than the median age of the Australian population (37 years). • Own (65%) or own & lease (12%) their property. • Have lengthy land management experience - (average of 32.7 years), often following earlier generations on properties: maintaining traditions and heritage is important (over 63% of respondents indicated this to be of the highest importance). • Do not make decisions in isolation – family / extended family are commonly involved. • Are positive about overall quality of life (>91%). • Have no significant plans to change future practices (>95%). • Do not believe their farming practice adversely affects water quality in local streams, rivers, and waterways (42%). • Do not believe that the cane industry plays a significant role in the declining health of the GBR (49%). • Tend to shift their blame related to water quality and the health of the Great Barrier Reef. There is a need to ‘sell the science’ to gain acceptance of the cause-effect relationship between farming practice and water quality. There is potential to extend the key role of extension officers to influence an increased uptake of BMP practices. The main ways in which they can be supported in their interactions with land managers include: • Supporting innovators (‘positive deviants’). • Ensuring that land mangers see their expertise as valued and their voices heard. • Facilitating sharing of ideas and practices. • Building on the role of farms whose views are respected as information gatekeepers/disseminators/role models. • Ensuring that all persuasive communications are integrated in terms of key messages. • Developing strategies for minimising the impact of competing and conflicting messages. • Incorporating social media strategies as part of an integrated communication strategy that centres on the information channels and platforms used and preferred by land managers. • Incorporate long-term relationship management strategies based on customer relationship management and business-to-business marketing concepts. • Utilise Social Network Analysis to identify: (a) key information gatekeepers / opinion leaders who may help or hinder information dissemination and innovation uptake, and (b) where individual extension officers may fit into various networks. • Consider the use of farmer typologies in developing resources to aid extension officers in their interactions with land managers. Note: The survey was delivered in both the Burdekin and the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, therefore, the survey development and sampling strategy (Section 2) and recommendations (Section 4) of this report include common content with Section 2 and 4 of the Interim report - Questionnaire Design, Sampling Strategy and Preliminary Findings (The Burdekin region) (Farr et al., 2017b

The significance of environmental values for destination competitiveness and sustainable tourism strategy making: insights from Australia's Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Sustainable destinations must deliver products that perform better than their competitors and at the same time protect key environmental drawcards. This research explores the environmental–economic interface of a major destination, both as a case study in how to approach this complex relationship and as a contribution to the methodology of tackling the need for understanding competitive pressures as part of sustainable tourism strategy creation. Using the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) as an example, the paper assesses 21 key environmental values, including Indigenous culture, against market-based factors, in terms of their importance for visitors as regional drawcards, satisfaction with them and the way in which changes in them might affect trip numbers and duration across different regions. While the natural values of the GBRWHA are found to be the most important drawcards, satisfaction scores were significantly lower than importance scores for a number of these values. Visitors responded more negatively to the prospect of environmental degradation than to the prospect of a 20% increase in local prices: the detailed impact depends, however, on location and visitor mix. Clear ocean, healthy coral reefs, healthy reef fish, and lack of rubbish were the top four most important values