Make a noise or work with the system? New research reveals 4 ways to create real change for nature
- Written by Lily van Eeden, Lecturer, RMIT University
Ecosystems and species across the natural world are in serious trouble. The vast majority of Australians want more government action, but it’s not being delivered.
Take, for example, the federal government commitment to end extinctions via its Nature Positive plan. Or consider its promise to overhaul Australia’s environmental legislation and create a new independent regulator. Progress on both has faltered.
The biodiversity crisis calls for systemic change in humanity’s relationship with nature. This requires bold policy action from governments. Our new research examined how everyday people can help achieve this.
We mined the insider knowledge of politicians, senior public servants and environmental advocates. The participants were Victoria-based, but their advice applies more broadly.
Here, we present a recipe for achieving real, lasting change for the natural world.
1. Be prepared for a long haul
Change can take a long time. Be willing and able to see out the process. As one government interviewee told us:
[Change] is not going to happen by one research paper, one meeting, one event, it’s gonna be a whole range of things over a sustained period of time.
Also, find support. Our interviewees told us the most successful campaigns often happen when like-minded individuals band together. This provides the social support needed to stay the course.
Remember, change is possible. As one government interviewee told us, this is especially true in marginal seats, where “constant ongoing campaigning at every level” can shift the dial.
There is very likely a community group advocating for nature near you. These groups sometimes link up with larger, better-funded environment groups, to access their resources and networks.
2. Know the system
Identify who you need to influence. The person holding the lever might not be a politician, but a public servant. Or public servants might rally for a cause internally, sometimes partnering with community groups.
So how do you find this key person? Build your networks. Start talking to people in your community and get to know your local elected representatives. Find out what they care about and pitch your message to appeal to their values and concerns.
One interviewee told us community groups would benefit from knowing more about how the system works:
What are the bits that can actually change? […] Community members can be a bit aggressive in trying to drive through their challenge without understanding why they’ve been ignored in the past, or feel that they’ve been ignored.
As another government interviewee told us:
People don’t see how much power they have if they just use their voice and use it in a constructive way.
3. Be strategic
Choose whether to work with the government, or challenge it publicly.
Environmental advocates can work alongside government to design solutions together. For example, a community group might work with their local council to design and implement management of a bush reserve. Big non-government environment groups often work in this way, relying on strong relationships with government insiders to achieve change.
The opposite strategy is an “outsider” approach, which, at the extreme end, might include physically disrupting industry. Think chaining yourself to a tree in a forest pegged for logging or ramming a ship into a commercial whaling vessel.
A less extreme outsider approach might be seeking to get your issue into the media to build public interest to get something on the political agenda.
Both approaches have their merits in the right context. As one staff member of an environment group told us:
We’re going to put on the suits […] and we’re not going to scale their buildings and release confidential information that they’ve given us to the media […] I don’t judge those that have that theory of change, because we need both, we need the really extreme advocacy to make us look mainstream and medium and reasonable.
4. Seize the moment
Identify when your advocacy might be most effective. It might be an upcoming election or budget, or when a policy is being reviewed.
Or it might be something less predictable, such as a bushfire, flood or other environmental disaster. In those cases, nature conservation issues are suddenly all over the media. It might be a chance for real change.
Effective advocates know how to identify, create, and be prepared for these windows. As one staff member at an environmental group told us:
Some organizations talk about making change. But that’s a harder exercise. Often it’s a sort of a catching a wave of something else, or waiting for the opportunity.
The upcoming federal election is one such opportunity. The lead up is a good time to advocate for nature. Speak with your local politician and their competitors about the change you want to see.
If not us, who?
These are well-tested, effective actions you can use to achieve positive policy change for the environment. But remember, the system is dynamic. New methods and approaches will emerge as technologies, modes of communication and other factors evolve.
Governments, however, are a permanent fixture in the system. They stand to benefit politically by engaging with community and advocacy groups. So there is enormous potential for everyday people to genuinely make a difference.
Environmental crises can seem overwhelming, but we can – and must – try to make a difference. Because, as the old adage goes: if not us, who? And if not now, when?
The authors acknowledge Fern Hames and Kim Lowe for their contributions to this article.
Authors: Lily van Eeden, Lecturer, RMIT University
