Premium
Motivations for the use and consumption of wildlife products
Author(s) -
ThomasWalters Laura,
Hinsley Amy,
Bergin Daniel,
Burgess Gayle,
Doughty Hunter,
Eppel Sara,
MacFarlane Douglas,
Meijer Wander,
Lee Tien Ming,
Phelps Jacob,
Smith Robert J.,
Wan Anita K. Y.,
Veríssimo Diogo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/cobi.13578
Subject(s) - wildlife , context (archaeology) , psychological intervention , bushmeat , business , incentive , wildlife conservation , consumption (sociology) , marketing , wildlife trade , enforcement , environmental planning , environmental resource management , geography , economics , political science , psychology , ecology , social science , sociology , biology , archaeology , psychiatry , law , microeconomics
The dominant approach to combating the illegal wildlife trade has traditionally been to restrict the supply of wildlife products. Yet conservationists increasingly recognize the importance of implementing demand‐side interventions that target the end consumers in the trade chain. Their aim is to curb the consumption of wildlife or shift consumption to more sustainable alternatives. However, there are still considerable knowledge gaps in understanding of the diversity of consumer motivations in the context of illegal wildlife trade, which includes hundreds of thousands of species, different uses, and diverse contexts. Based on consultation with multiple experts from a diversity of backgrounds, nationalities, and focal taxa, we developed a typology of common motivations held by wildlife consumers that can be used to inform conservation interventions. We identified 5 main motivational categories for wildlife use: experiential, social, functional, financial, and spiritual, each containing subcategories. This framework is intended to facilitate the segmentation of consumers based on psychographics and allow the tailoring of interventions—whether behavior change campaigns, enforcement efforts, or incentive programs—to the specific context in which they will be used. Underlining the importance of consumer research and collaborating with local actors is an important step toward promoting a more systematic approach to the design of demand reduction interventions.