Teacher training as a means to sustained and multiplicative behavior change: An example using fuel-efficient stoves

Chimpanzee conservation is dependent on addressing key threats such as habitat degradation, which is fueled by collection of firewood in Uganda's Kibale National Park. To address this threat, sustained behavior change that reduces dependence on fuelwood is needed. One of the greatest challenges for conservation education programs and behavior change campaigns is to have long-term and consistent effects on communities. Teacher trainings have potential to influence a large number of students over an extended period of time. In this study, we tested if teacher training on an activity designed to reduce community impact on the environment and thus reduce habitat encroachment in a critical chimpanzee habitat-construction of fuel-efficient stoves (FES)-could lead to retained knowledge and attitude improvements for students as well as sustained behavioral change in communities around Kibale National Park up to 2 years after initial training on the topic. We consistently found improvements in student knowledge and attitude change between the beginning and end of the year for third- and sixth-grade students in 11 program schools, but not in four control schools. In addition, the number of FES built by 120 teachers engaged in the program and their students continued to average over 150 stoves per year across 4 years. Our study suggests that teacher training can lead to sustained and multiplicative behavior change, which may mitigate threats to chimpanzees and other wildlife threatened by habitat encroachment in the park over time.