Shorebird Disturbance Reduction Toolkit
Home | Background | Methods | Study Sites | Implementation | Resources
Since 2016, Virginia Tech, the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon, Manomet, and a full suite of partners have worked diligently to develop and refine a multi-faceted approach to managing human disturbance to shorebirds that engages communities in conservation actions. Our goal is to provide managers, practitioners, and conservation professionals with the resources, knowledge, and expertise to tackle human disturbance head-on through empirically tested social science methods.
Discover all of the resources and materials available to you below.
Background: Our Approach to Managing Disturbance
Learn more about where this multi-faceted approach has been used, what it entails, and the importance of integrating biological science, social science, and the expertise of managers and conservation professionals in shorebird management.
Methods: Community-based Social Marketing
Community-based social marketing (CBSM) is an approach that uses psychology and marketing techniques to engage people in sustainable actions and encourage them to change their behavior. Here, you can learn more about CBSM, the strategies, and tips for implementing.
Study Sites: CBSM in Action
In 2022, nine sites developed and implemented CBSM campaigns to reduce disturbance by dogs and beach walkers. Each site contributed to the large-scale coordinated effort of improving coastal management across the Atlantic Flyway. Here, you can learn more about the pilot sites and the tailored nature of CBSM.
Implementation: Resources to Get You Started
Over the course of this project, we learned a few lessons, tips for implementing campaigns, and things that would be helpful to know before designing a campaign. Feeling unsure where to begin? Here, you can find expert tips--from shorebird experts--on designing a CBSM campaign.
Additional Resources
Discover all of the downloadable and customizable resources, protocols, tools, graphics, and templates that are available to you in one convenient location.
