Graduate Project
 

Let’s talk about seagrasses! A front-end evaluation to improve messaging strategies for seagrass conservation in Indian River Lagoon visitor centers

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_projects/mg74qt879

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  • In the most recent decades, there has been extensive loss of seagrasses within the Indian River Lagoon estuary on the eastern coast of Florida. This decline poses a significant threat to the ecological function of the ecosystem, as well as to the social and economic wellbeing of the surrounding communities. Stakeholder buy-in and engagement with conservation initiatives is a critical component of lagoon-wide seagrass restoration and management efforts. Visitor centers, such as zoos, aquarium, and nature centers, can play a key role in increasing knowledge of environmental issues and facilitating behavior change among stakeholders. This capstone project included a 2-phase front-end evaluation to provide recommendations for the network of visitor centers within the region to increase messaging impact and buy-in for seagrass conservation efforts. The first phase involved a content analysis conducted at 11 facilities to understand current messaging strategies. The second phase was a visitor survey conducted at Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida that sought to understand visitors’ beliefs and prior knowledge about seagrasses, as well as conduct a pilot-study to compare the impact of various messaging approaches. Combined, these two evaluation efforts helped to inform a set of recommendations to improve future messaging. While this project served as an important first step in improving messaging impact, continued and on-going evaluation efforts will undoubtedly be needed to help leverage the impact of visitor centers in their efforts to help secure a more sustainable future for seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon.
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