{"id":17379,"date":"2020-02-12T04:33:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T04:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/?p=17379"},"modified":"2020-06-09T12:11:19","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T12:11:19","slug":"using-the-power-of-pop-to-change-minds-over-sea-turtle-meat-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/using-the-power-of-pop-to-change-minds-over-sea-turtle-meat-consumption\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the power of pop to change minds over sea turtle meat consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"543\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-1024x543.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17380\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-1024x543.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-768x407.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg 1239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers at the University of Oxford\u00a0and Programa Tat\u00f4\u00a0have developed a\u00a0catchy\u00a0way to reach\u00a0communities\u00a0on\u00a0the island of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9, in West Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having utilised\u00a0consumer research methods to source answers anonymously, they discovered\u00a0that people\u00a0have\u00a0high levels\u00a0of trust in TV and radio.\u00a0Using these insights,\u00a0they\u00a0persuaded\u00a0the island\u2019s favourite singer,\u00a0Jo\u00e3o Seria, to produce an original\u00a0music video\u00a0with a song called \u2018M\u00e9m di Omali\u2019 which means, Mother of the Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filmed in the idyllic island setting; turquoise waters\u00a0lapping on the\u00a0golden\u00a0beaches where sea turtles come to nest,\u00a0and sung\u00a0by\u00a0Jo\u00e3o Seria\u00a0full of\u00a0joy and sunshine, the song reached out via the island\u2019s\u00a0TV network.\u00a0The song uses three local languages,\u00a0as many people do not use the official language of the country (Portuguese) at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lines include:\u00a0\u201cMy people, let the sea turtle live\u201d; \u201cIf you see sea turtle meat for sale, don\u2019t buy it.\u201d\u00a0Furthermore, researchers effectively took advantage of national laws whereby an original song can be broadcast on TV\u00a0and radio\u00a0for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lead researcher, Diogo\u00a0Ver\u00edssimo, said: \u2018We got the idea of doing this song as we were looking for a more positive and captivating way to get our message across to our target audience than the usual repeating of scientific facts about extinction. We used TV and a very famous musician because we knew from the results of our survey that TV had a high level of trust and that social norms played an important role in driving sea turtle meat consumption.\u00a0So we needed a messenger whose authority was widely accepted by a majority of the population.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The island of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 is the largest island of the archipelago of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe and is home to more than 95% of the country&#8217;s population. It is a known nesting and foraging ground for five species of sea\u00a0turtles.\u00a0However,\u00a0for centuries\u00a0sea turtles have been exploited for human consumption in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 Island, with both meat and eggs used for commercial and subsistence reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"newspaper-x-video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Using the power of pop to save the sea turtles of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/poGIdu2QCz8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2014, the Santomean government criminalised\u00a0in the archipelago\u00a0the possession, trade and transportation of sea turtles (dead or alive) and their by\u2010products.\u00a0But\u00a0the island\u00a0lacked means to enforce the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers from the University of Oxford\u2019s Department of Zoology, working with\u00a0the NGO\u00a0Programa Tat\u00f4\u00a0as well as the University of Exeter and University of Lisbon, realised that\u00a0the\u00a0focus\u00a0needed\u00a0to shift\u00a0from coercive measures to voluntary behaviour change. To do this they would\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0understand sea turtle consumption in the island, who\u00a0was most trusted\u00a0and how they liked\u00a0to receive\u00a0information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0scientists\u00a0used consumer research methods and adapted\u00a0criminology\u00a0methods to source answers anonymously from\u00a0nearly 2,000 citizens\u00a0in rural and urban communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results of their survey led to this\u00a0music\u00a0video, harnessing the appeal of the island\u2019s biggest influencer and most trusted source of information.\u00a0Beyond scheduled broadcasts\u00a0across TV and radio, it has been viewed 30,000 times on YouTube (the\u00a0country\u2019s\u00a0population is 200,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Co-author\u00a0Sara Vieira,\u00a0Programa Tat\u00f4\u00a0said: \u2018Consumer research is a key part of gaining audience insights.\u00a0We can do so much more by\u00a0understanding\u00a0the\u00a0attitudes and social norms driving behaviour,\u00a0and the communication channels and influencers\u00a0who\u00a0can be used to reach a target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018These insights increase the probability of successful behaviour change interventions and minimize the risk of unintended harmful outcomes.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers\u00a0discovered\u00a0widespread beliefs\u00a0in rural populations\u00a0that sea turtle populations could never become extinct and\u00a0behaviours\u00a0in both urban and rural settings\u00a0informed by a belief that\u00a0eating sea turtle meat is part of the national culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Co-author\u00a0Ana Nuno,\u00a0from University of Exeter\u00a0said: \u2018Designing behaviour change interventions is a complex task that can only be accomplished through having an in\u2010depth understanding of the people that\u00a0scientists or policy-makers aim to influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018In the context of issues as complex as the consumption of wildmeat, where influencing consumers is likely to become a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation efforts, comprehensive and rigorous consumer research\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0crucial\u00a0precursor to conservation success.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scientists\u2019 data collection focused\u00a0on two priority groups: the inhabitants of rural and coastal fishing communities and the residents of the capital city of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9.\u00a0These fishing communities were selected because they neighbour important turtle nesting beaches where sea turtle poaching is known to happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rural community residents\u00a0said\u00a0radio, teachers, television, and religious leaders\u00a0were\u00a0their\u00a0most trusted sources\u00a0of information. At the other end of the spectrum, politicians were the least trusted group.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For\u00a0residents of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 city, the levels of trust were generally lower, with teachers and NGOs\u00a0coming out as the most highly-trusted sources of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results of this research provided\u00a0key audience insights for the design of behaviour change campaigns aimed at reducing the demand for sea turtle meat and eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the challenges, the researchers\u00a0also\u00a0found that there is widespread support for sea turtle protection in the country and a large consensus over\u00a0the\u00a0fact that sea turtles are part of their\u00a0natural heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The use of a music video sending positive messages aims to tap into this goodwill and sense of connection with the sea turtles as part of the island\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers hope\u00a0their novel\u00a0adaptation of\u00a0methods to understand behaviour and deliver a message in the way that people can optimally receive,\u00a0will be adopted in other conservation efforts around the world where complexity and human traditions, needs and cultures live side by side with the needs of endangered animals.<\/p>\n  <br \/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at the University of Oxford\u00a0and Programa Tat\u00f4\u00a0have developed a\u00a0catchy\u00a0way to reach\u00a0communities\u00a0on\u00a0the island of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9, in West Africa. Having utilised\u00a0consumer research methods to source answers anonymously, they discovered\u00a0that people\u00a0have\u00a0high levels\u00a0of trust in TV and radio.\u00a0Using these insights,\u00a0they\u00a0persuaded\u00a0the island\u2019s favourite singer,\u00a0Jo\u00e3o Seria, to produce an original\u00a0music video\u00a0with a song called \u2018M\u00e9m di Omali\u2019 which means, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",1239,657,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-300x159.jpg",300,159,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-768x407.jpg",750,397,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-1024x543.jpg",750,398,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",1239,657,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",1239,657,false],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",1200,636,false],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",870,461,false],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",600,318,false],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",600,318,false],"newspaper-x-single-post":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-760x490.jpg",760,490,true],"newspaper-x-recent-post-big":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-550x360.jpg",550,360,true],"newspaper-x-recent-post-list-image":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles-95x65.jpg",95,65,true],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",640,339,false],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",96,51,false],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Sea-turtles.jpg",150,80,false]},"author_info":{"info":["RevoScience"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/category\/news\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>","tag_info":"Research","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}