Engaging Communities with Native Plants
Context
In 2024, we piloted a conservation action project to engage Queens Zoo visitors in creating native wildlife habitat in their local park. This project was grounded in community-based social marketing (CBSM) theory and tested five CBSM strategies to encourage sustainable behavior change: (1) messaging about the benefits of planting native plants (2) making a commitment to planting native plants; (3) receiving a product (i.e., seeds) to jump-start the behavior; (4) receiving a prompt to follow through; and (5) establishing social norms through participation in a community event.
Research question
How can a zoo apply community-based social marketing strategies support visitors in taking conservation action?
Methods
The project had three phases:
- We engaged Queens Zoo visitors at a live interpretation station, discussing the benefits of creating native wildlife habitat and dispelling perceived barriers using a fun game. We recruited visitors to cultivate native plants at home, providing seeds and materials.
- We sent email and text reminders to inquire whether they had planted their seeds.
- We invited participants to a community planting event in a local park, providing tools and support to sow their seedlings. Participants shared their reasons for creating native wildlife habitat on public signs posted in the planted area.
Findings
We tracked participation in each phase of the project. We engaged 159 groups in conversation about wildlife habitat and 128 (81%) committed to cultivating seedlings at home. Forty-six (36%) of groups responded to email and text reminders one week later and almost three-quarters confirmed that they planted their seeds. Five groups attended the planting event, during which 41 children and adults planted their seedlings in the park.
In interviews, participants described the ease of cultivating seedlings and the value of returning to the park with their families and working together to help the park flourish. Findings emphasized the importance of CBSM’s products and social norm strategies in capturing interest and prompting engagement: providing seeds made the conservation ask easy to do and incorporating a planting event made participation social alongside other community members. Deliberately testing CBSM strategies in various contexts will provide a deeper understanding of how to scale programs to maximize impact.
Products
Wildlife friendly habitats stewarded by Queens Zoo are cropping up in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, check the map to see them grow!