Communicating to Affect Change: Ecological Decision Making

Effective communication is necessary to achieve positive changes in people’s behaviour related to ecological decision making. Behaviour is moulded by a relationship between an individual’s existing knowledge and their attitudes. However, when new environmental issues emerge, there can be a reliance on a complementary set of criteria, known as heuristics which affects this association. This is illustrated with the current debate on issues such as re-wilding and biodiversity loss. Research into the impact of heuristics is the reason why many decisions that are made by individuals do not follow a logical pathway. This results in different, and at times unexpected options being taken, when for example pro-environmental policy makers fly across the world to discuss climate change. Consequently, a model of communication should be considered and adopted to reflect this interrelated matrix of decision making, which will ensure effective action and interventions are successful.