Enhanced expert toolkit kicks off behavioural change conference in Bangkok

In recent years, behaviour change and related fields have gained unprecedented international traction as vehicles for influencing the purchase decisions of illegal wildlife product consumers.

Since its initial launch in 2016, ChangeWildlifeConsumers.org, has been providing a unique platform for the SBCC Community of Practice to access free resources, share best practices, experts insights and to improve coordination around efforts to shift wildlife consumer purchasing preferences.

Behavioural change is such an important field, it’s fantastic to see the increasing appetite of conservation practitioners in exploring its potential for tackling wildlife crime

Gayle Burgess, TRAFFIC’s Behavioural Change Co-ordinator.

“We’re extremely excited about the reinvigorated ChangeWildlifeConsumers.org and its potential for enhancing the success of SBCC initiatives – new and existing members of the Community of Practice are in for a treat!”  

The toolkit has undergone extensive structural and functional redevelopment to complement the evolution of the behavioural change sector and meet the expanding needs of the Community of Practice.

The open-source repository of academic resources, technical reports, expert interviews, commercial insights, and educational webinars has been expanded, with simplified resource filters facilitating a rapid and intuitive browsing experience.

An enhanced “social space” function has also been developed, allowing Community of Practice members to collaborate and seek advice on the design of SBCC approaches with ease.

An all-new, open-source wildlife consumer research dataset has been added, allowing users instantly to download raw data covering a variety of consumer markets surveys for wildlife products. An “expert directory” will also direct visitors to relevant behavioural change thought leaders and practitioners for assistance and advice.

 “The Change Wildlife Consumers Toolkit has been designed for all those seeking a one-stop-shop for the latest insights on wildlife behavioural change”, said Keaw Kongwanarat, TRAFFIC’s SBCC Programme Officer.

“We look forward to building on the existing Community of Practice and contributing to the ongoing expansion of an essential conservation field.”

The launch of the toolkit marks the start of second international conference “Revisiting Efforts to Reduce Demand for Illegal Wildlife Products”, convened by TRAFFIC through the financial support of USAID and GIZ.

Over 100 experts, representing government, international conservation, social marketing, and behavioural change organisations, have descended on Bangkok to discuss behavioural change best practices and pitfalls to help catalyse innovative approaches and to invigorate current Demand Reduction strategies and interventions for conservation impact.

Search #ChangeWildlifeConsumers on youtube and twitter for the latest resources and events.