New study set to target positive household behaviours

Destructive fishing practices, including bombing and cyanide poisoning, are a major problem for householders in Selayar, Indonesia, who rely on fisheries as their main source of food and income.

Poor waste management and marine pollution (plastic and fuel) also pose a threat to marine ecosystems and, as a result, the value of the services they provide to coastal communities in South Sulawesi.

These are observations made by behaviour change researchers who last month met people at Tile-tile, Bungaiya and Bontolebang in Selayar to discuss environmental problems in their villages.

Using local language and Bahasa Indonesia the researchers collected data from groups of men, women and young adults on survey forms and on audio during nine focus groups over three days.

This research activity is analysing the needs, values, levers and drivers for fostering sustainable behaviours among individuals and households at the CCRES project’s pilot site in Indonesia. It is doing so in order to develop a pilot intervention for promoting positive environmental behaviour and is part of the CCRES project’s promoting behaviour change component.

The activity is a partnership between the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) at The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Center for Coastal Marine Resource Studies (CCMRS) at Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).

The field work was completed by representatives from project partners Currie Communications, COREMAP CTI, CCMRS and Triple P. These were CCRES country coordinator Ibu Yuni Kumoloraras, local translator Pak Andi, Activity Leader Erik Simmons, (UQ), researcher Pak Yudi Wahyudin (CCMRS), interpreter Pak Ibnu Najib, facilitator Paula Bradley and Team Leader Mark Paterson.

The data collected will now be analysed to identify candidate behaviours for targeting in a pilot intervention during March and April 2017. The intervention will be developed using the principles of Triple P - one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world, backed up by more than 30 years of ongoing research. It is expected that preliminary results from this activity will be shared at the 2017 CCRES Stakeholder Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, during July 2017.

For more information, contact Erik Simmons, The University of Queensland