This document outlines 4 steps to identify the most appropriate behavior to address in a conservation project: 1. Understand the problem fully by creating a diagram of all possible contributing behaviors and causes. Involve stakeholders to get different perspectives. 2. Identify the most direct causes that directly relate to the problem. For example, with weight gain, not exercising and eating large portions are direct causes. 3. Determine which behaviors are changeable with available resources and will produce desired impact. Dig into the current and desired states of each behavior. 4. Continually collect data to check progress and adjust the project as needed. No approach is perfect, and assessment allows for improvements.

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HOW TO
CHOOSE A
BEHAVIOR
TO TACKLE
brought to you by

2. This presentation will outline 4 steps
you should take to identify the most
appropriate behavior to address in your
project to achieve conservation results.

3. In our work, we’re trying to solve an environmental problem.
This can range from complex to seemingly easy problems like:
Protecting a species from
over-hunting
Getting an environmental
law or regulation passed
Reducing litter and waste.

4. In all these problems to be solved,
we’re dealing with the behaviors of
people and figuring out how to
motivate them to do something
different or something new.
a.k.a. behavior change

5. This leads us to ask questions like:
How do we shift status symbols away from ivory and animal
parts towards something more sustainable to protect species?

6. How do we jump start people out of apathy towards action to
petition for or against a policy?

7. How do we guide and motivate people to properly dispose of
their waste and recycling as much as they can?

8. behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
But it’s never as easy
as that because
humans are quite
complex.
Typically people
aren’t doing just one
thing to cause a
problem, it’s usually
a set or series of
things.

9. conservation
problem
behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
behavior
??
? This can make it really
difficult to know which
behavior to address in
your program.
I’ll outline 4 steps you
can use to help
identify the most
appropriate behavior
for you to tackle.

10. #
UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM
It’s important to fully understand the problem before
jumping to solutions. Otherwise we risk using limited
resources on efforts that won’t impact the problem we’re
trying to solve.

11. That’s 10 pounds
too high!
Let’s start with an example that we may all be familiar with,
like trying to shed a few pounds.
So the problem to tackle is being 10 pounds overweight.

12. 10 pounds
overweight
problem
Eating
sweets late
at night
causes
Sitting
too much
at work
Eating out
more than
cooking
Serving
too large
portions
Not
exercising
regularly
Let’s look at all the possible things that may be causing someone to be 10
pounds overweight. And this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list!

13. 10 pounds
overweight
problem
Eating
sweets late
at night
causes
Sitting
too much
at work
Eating out
more than
cooking
Serving
too large
portions
Not
exercising
regularly
Big dinners.
Not eating
regularly.
No set
workout
routine.
Plates at
home are
large.
Feel it’s not
OK to leave
desk
And behind this set of
causes is another set of sub-
causes!
You can imagine how this
chart can expand as you
understand more about the
behaviors.

14. Hunting of
endangered
species
problem
High profits
for wildlife
products
causes
Low risk
of getting
caught
Cultural
tradition
Socially
acceptable
Lack other
income
sources
Receive
rewards &
not fines
Low
economic
opptys
Species
seen as
pests
High need
for income
This is an example for how
the diagram can look with a
complex conservation
challenge like illegal hunting.

15. The diagram I’m showing is a loose
problem tree format. Whether you use a
problem tree, a concept model, or
another format – there are some best
practices to get the best results…

16.  Do this activity with a group to get multiple
perspectives.
 Complete it multiple times with different groups of
people to identify similarities and differences.
 Fill it in based on experience and research.
 Continually ask “why” a behavior is happening.
BEST PRACTICES FOR UNDERSTANDING
THE PROBLEM

17. #
IDENTIFY THE MOST DIRECT
CAUSES
Even though all these behaviors may be contributing to
the problem, it’s likely that some will contribute more
directly than others. This helps determine which are best
to address.

18. 10 pounds
overweight
problem
Sitting
too much
at work
Not
exercising
regularly
direct
cause
In the weight loss example,
the cause of not exercising
regularly means not enough
calories are being burned.
This directly relates to
gaining weight.
Research may also show
that not exercising leads to
more sedentary behavior
throughout the day.
Therefore, not exercising
would be a direct cause.

19. 10 pounds
overweight
problem
Eating
sweets late
at night
causes
Eating out
more than
cooking
Serving
too large
portions
direct
cause
Eating too large of
portions contributes
directly since it involves
consuming too many
calories.
Additionally, eating too
much leads to the other
causes being negative
behaviors.
Meaning, these behaviors
on their own may not
caught weight gain, but
eating too much in those
settings could.

20. 10 pounds
overweight
problem
Eating
sweets late
at night
causes
Sitting
too much
at work
Eating out
more than
cooking
Serving
too large
portions
Not
exercising
regularly
direct
cause
direct
cause
Based on our research
findings, we identify two
direct causes:
• Not exercising regularly
• Serving too large
portions.

21. Hunting of
endangered
species
problem
High profits
for wildlife
products
causes
Low risk
of getting
caught
Cultural
tradition
Socially
acceptable
Lack other
income
sources
??
?
Working with a group of key
stakeholders and experts will
provide different perspectives to
help determine which causes are
most directly linked to the
problem being addressed.

22. A big factor to consider is your
organization or program’s ability to
effectively make changes to the identified
causes.
Which brings us to…

23. #
DETERMINE WHICH
BEHAVIORS TO ADDRESS
Your diagram will likely have multiple direct causes and
it’s not possible to address them all at the same time due
to limited resources. So we still must decide which one
to tackle.

24. is the behavior changeable with
the resources available and will
changing that behavior produce
the desired impact?
To make this determination, evaluate each of the direct causes
by asking this question:

25. Answering this question requires
digging into each of the direct
causes a bit further.

26. Socially
acceptable
Community finds
it socially
acceptable for
members to hunt
endangered
species
Current State
A Digging further into the
direct cause of illegal hunting
being “socially acceptable”
helps us clarify and get
specific with the current
behavior occurring within the
community.

27. Socially
acceptable
Community finds
it socially
acceptable for
members to hunt
endangered
species
Community
members are
vocal and active
about members
not hunting
endangered
species
Current State Desired State
A B
Which, in turn, helps us get much more specific with the desired
end state behavior we’d like to achieve through the project.

28. Socially
acceptable
Community finds
it socially
acceptable for
members to hunt
endangered
species
Community
members are
vocal and active
about members
not hunting
endangered
species
Current State Desired State
A B
These details allow us to critically assess and determine if the behavior is:
changeable with the resources available and will changing that
behavior produce the desired impact?

29. exercising
more regularly
I think I’ll get the
grilled chicken and
not the burger…
I’ve been sitting for
too long. After this
email, I’m taking a
stroll!
I’m already
down 3 pounds!
Also consider if there’s a
behavior that as it’s
changing may naturally lead
to progress in another
behavior.
Like when exercising more
often naturally leads to
healthier food choices in
addition to being less
sedentary.

30. #
CHECK-IN & ASSESS
There’s no perfect formula with a perfect answer on
which behavior to address.
It’s important to continually collect qualitative and
quantitative data to check-in and assess the progress of
your project, and to adjust as needed.

31. Thank you for clicking!
I run training workshops
ranging from 3 hours to 3 days
on topics like this and more.
Learn more at .com and
reach out to book your workshop today!
brooke@brooketully.com