Freya St John and Harriet Ibbett are excited to announce the release of a new free resource —
This practical guide is designed to support conservation practitioners and researchers aiming to understand rule breaking in conservation contexts. Inside, readers will find:
- Techniques for asking questions about sensitive topics
- Advice on writing robust questions
- Guidance on research ethics
- Expert tips for fieldwork success
Whether you're new to social science research methods or looking to refine your approach, this handbook is for you!
Why It Matters
Understanding who follows rules and why, is pivotal for shaping and informing the design of conservation policy and strategies on the ground. If based on erroneous assumptions, sustainable solutions are unlikely to be realised. Consequently, conservation scientists need skills and methods that help them understand the prevalence and drivers of illegal activities. .
What’s Inside
To help you when designing your research, we have structured the handbook around steps in the study design process. We start by providing an overview of reasons and approaches for studying compliance and pay special attention to research ethics and the consent process. We also introduce ways of understanding if your research topic is sensitive and describe four different Specialised Questioning Techniques (SQTs) designed to better protect your respondents and improve data quality. We also provide pointers on writing robust questionnaire items and response scales. Our final section suggests ways of sharing your findings.
Freya St. John, ConHuB lead and handbook co-author, says
Understanding topics like rule breaking can be really challenging! Our freely available handbook condenses our knowledge and experience in striving to collect robust data on conservation compliance directly from people, with the aim of supporting others
Who Should Read It
Whether you’re a conservation practitioner, student or academic this guide will equip you with the tools to:
- Understand if your study topic is sensitive Choose an appropriate data collection technique and design survey instruments that meet rigorous ethical standards
- Share your findings with your target audiences
Get Your Copy
Download your today and visit the ConHuB website for more resources on integrating human behaviour research into conservation science and practice.
Acknowledgements
This handbook was produced as part of a project that received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement No. 755956 (CONHUB) awarded to Dr St John.