Developing Social Marketing Strategies to Reduce Puget Sound Shoreline Armoring
Presentation Abstract
The net reduction of shoreline armor along the marine nearshore of Puget Sound is a key goal for ecosystem recovery. WDFW and DNR are the leads of the Puget Sound Marine and Nearshore Grant Program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the National Estuary Program, and have funded a project to develop a social marketing framework and strategies for voluntary removal and/or replacement of hard armor for residential parcels. In the future, the Grant Program will provide this social marketing and behavior change strategy, as well as information about incentive options, to local governments and other entities interested in implementing armoring reduction programs. Social marketing and behavior change strategies that achieve voluntary stewardship among shoreline landowners can be used to complement regulatory, education, restoration, and other efforts that seek to protect Puget Sound beaches. The project includes a) GIS assessment of all residential marine parcels to in Puget Sound, including shoreform and geomorphology, as well as basic demographic information and segmented parcel types; b) through primary and secondary research, identifying barriers and motivators impacting property owner decisions to remove or forgo hard armor; c) identifying sub-segments of shoreline property owners most likely to be receptive to messages about voluntary armor removal, choosing softer alternatives to armor install, and other “natural” shoreline protection behaviors; d) testing messaging, outreach strategies and motivators for selected population segments to choose alternatives to hard armor along their shorelines (where not needed to protect property); and e) developing an outreach strategy toolkit for program implementers to use when conducting local campaigns. Qualitative interviews with a variety of shoreline property owners and a cross-section of “influencer” audiences were conducted to gain insight about how shoreline armor decisions are made, and what barriers and motivators may be most common. The team also conducted a literature review of existing research, outreach and pilot programs already complete (or in progress) related to shoreline armor. The interviews, database development and literature review were used to develop a quantitative survey distributed to a cross section of shoreline property owners in January 2014, which drilled down into barriers and motivations tied to target behaviors and provided insights into messaging and terminology that the team will then use to inform development of the social marketing strategy/toolkit. The project is scheduled to be complete by May 31, 2014.
Session Title
Session S-03H: Social Science Strategies for Ecosystem Recovery: On-the-Ground Applications of Social Science
Conference Track
Social Science Plus
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
30-4-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
30-4-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 607
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Shore protection--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Region; Coastal zone management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Region
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound Region (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Developing Social Marketing Strategies to Reduce Puget Sound Shoreline Armoring
Room 607
The net reduction of shoreline armor along the marine nearshore of Puget Sound is a key goal for ecosystem recovery. WDFW and DNR are the leads of the Puget Sound Marine and Nearshore Grant Program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the National Estuary Program, and have funded a project to develop a social marketing framework and strategies for voluntary removal and/or replacement of hard armor for residential parcels. In the future, the Grant Program will provide this social marketing and behavior change strategy, as well as information about incentive options, to local governments and other entities interested in implementing armoring reduction programs. Social marketing and behavior change strategies that achieve voluntary stewardship among shoreline landowners can be used to complement regulatory, education, restoration, and other efforts that seek to protect Puget Sound beaches. The project includes a) GIS assessment of all residential marine parcels to in Puget Sound, including shoreform and geomorphology, as well as basic demographic information and segmented parcel types; b) through primary and secondary research, identifying barriers and motivators impacting property owner decisions to remove or forgo hard armor; c) identifying sub-segments of shoreline property owners most likely to be receptive to messages about voluntary armor removal, choosing softer alternatives to armor install, and other “natural” shoreline protection behaviors; d) testing messaging, outreach strategies and motivators for selected population segments to choose alternatives to hard armor along their shorelines (where not needed to protect property); and e) developing an outreach strategy toolkit for program implementers to use when conducting local campaigns. Qualitative interviews with a variety of shoreline property owners and a cross-section of “influencer” audiences were conducted to gain insight about how shoreline armor decisions are made, and what barriers and motivators may be most common. The team also conducted a literature review of existing research, outreach and pilot programs already complete (or in progress) related to shoreline armor. The interviews, database development and literature review were used to develop a quantitative survey distributed to a cross section of shoreline property owners in January 2014, which drilled down into barriers and motivations tied to target behaviors and provided insights into messaging and terminology that the team will then use to inform development of the social marketing strategy/toolkit. The project is scheduled to be complete by May 31, 2014.
