Data_Sheet_1_Implicit Measures Help Demonstrate the Value of Conservation Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.xlsx

Biodiversity is being lost at unprecedented rates. Limited conservation resources must be prioritized strategically to maximize impact. Here we introduce novel methods to assess a small-scale conservation education program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lola ya Bonobo is the world’s only sanctuary for one of humans’ two closest living relatives, bonobos, orphaned by the illegal trade in bushmeat and exotic pets. The sanctuary is situated on the edge of the country’s capital, Kinshasa, its most densely populated region and a hub for the illegal wildlife trade that is imperiling bonobos and other endangered species. Lola ya Bonobo implements an education program specifically designed to combat this trade. Previous evaluation demonstrated the program’s efficacy in transmitting conservation knowledge to children. In Study 1, we use novel implicit tests to measure conservation attitudes before and after an educational visit and document a significant increase in children’s pro-conservation attitudes following direct exposure to bonobos and the education program. In Study 2, we show that adults exhibit high levels of conservation knowledge even before visiting the sanctuary, likely due to the sanctuary’s longstanding education efforts in Kinshasa. In Study 3, we explored adults’ empathetic attitudes toward bonobos before and after the sanctuary tour. Our results support the conservation education hypothesis that conservation education has improved relevant knowledge and attitudes in Kinshasa. Crucially, the present study validates new methods for implicitly assessing attitudes about environmental and social issues. These methods overcome typical biases in survey sampling and can be employed in diverse populations, including those with low literacy rates.

生物多样性正以前所未有的速度丧失。有限的保护资源必须通过战略优先级设定以实现效益最大化。本研究介绍了用于评估刚果民主共和国一项小型保护教育项目的新型方法。洛拉亚倭黑猩猩保护区（Lola ya Bonobo）是全球唯一为倭黑猩猩（bonobos）设立的庇护所——倭黑猩猩是与人类亲缘关系最近的两种物种之一，这些倭黑猩猩因非法丛林肉交易和异宠贸易沦为孤儿。该庇护所位于刚果民主共和国首都金沙萨（Kinshasa）近郊，金沙萨是该国人口最稠密的地区，同时也是威胁倭黑猩猩及其他濒危物种的非法野生动物贸易枢纽。洛拉亚倭黑猩猩保护区推出了专门用于打击此类贸易的教育项目。此前的评估已证实，该项目可有效向儿童传递保护知识。在研究1中，我们采用新型内隐测试法，对参与者在教育参观前后的保护态度进行测量，结果显示，在直接接触倭黑猩猩并参与教育项目后，儿童的亲保护态度显著提升。在研究2中，我们发现成年人即便在参观庇护所前，已具备较高水平的保护知识，这大概率得益于该保护区在金沙萨长期开展的教育工作。在研究3中，我们探究了成年人在参观庇护所前后对倭黑猩猩的共情态度。本研究结果验证了保护教育假说：即保护教育已在金沙萨地区提升了民众的相关保护知识与态度。尤为关键的是，本研究验证了用于内隐评估环境与社会议题态度的新型方法。此类方法可克服抽样调查中常见的偏差，适用于包括低识字率群体在内的多样化人群。