Effectiveness of using different presentation methods on cheetah conservation awareness and education in Kenya

Noreen Mukhwana Mutoro^1,2*Jeffrey Saerys-Foy³Adelaide Moturi²Lauren Pfeiffer⁴Laurie Marker⁴Mary Wykstra²

• ¹Paris Lodron Universitat Salzburg Natur- und Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultat, Salzburg, Austria
• ²Action for Cheetahs in Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
• ³Quinnipiac University, Hamden, United States
• ⁴Cheetah Conservation Fund, Otjiwarongo, Namibia

Conservation Education (CE) is essential for building the knowledge and skills required to solve sustainability challenges, especially biodiversity loss and for fostering positive actions towards biodiversity conservation. Quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of conservation education is important for achieving conservation impacts with long-lasting influence on people's knowledge, attitudes and behavior. This study assessed the effectiveness of three different presentation methods (poster, puppet show or video) to raise cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) conservation awareness in the Salama region of Makueni County in Kenya. Pre-and post-presentation surveys from 529 students across six primary schools were aggregated and statistically analyzed to evaluate students' learning outcomes. Verbal poster presentations showed the highest significant improvement in the students' knowledge. The results indicate immediate gains in knowledge following exposure to the educational medium. Although causal inference may be limited by the lack of validation of the survey instrument, our findings demonstrate that interactive presentations are an important factor in increasing knowledge of wildlife and awareness of the local and global threats facing vulnerable species and perceived problem predators, such as the cheetah, in conservation education. These findings can inform conservation educators, who can build on these presentation methods to achieve greater impact within their target community.