Addressing the raven food subsidy challenge by engaging restaurants to close their dumpsters. Issue 5 (27th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ocañas, Alejandrina R.; Danoff‐Burg, James A.; Mulroe, Kyle; Walton, Sonora R.
• Other Names: Cranston Kayla guestEditor.; Khalil Kathayoon guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Zoo biology. Volume 41:Issue 5(2022)
• Page Start: 491
• Page End: 500
• Publication Date: 2022-04-27
• Subjects: behavior change -- desert tortoise -- ravens -- resource subsidies -- urban wildlife; Zoo animals -- Periodicals; 591
• DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21696
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0733-3188

Abstract

Abstract: Ravens have benefitted from resource subsidies provided by humans so much that their population has increased by over 800% in the western Mojave desert over the last 50 years. Our food waste is an especially large subsidy. Raven predation is one of the greatest threats to desert tortoise survival in the California desert. We sought to create and evaluate a behavioral change program among restaurants in Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, California in the western Mojave with elevated raven populations. Half of the 60 restaurants in these two communities received an intervention encouraging them to close their dumpsters while the other half served as controls with no intervention. Treatment restaurants received two in‐person visits to discuss the manifold importance of dumpster closure and laminated information signs to display and extend communication to staff. We surveyed all dumpsters for open/closed status five times before the intervention and five times again 3 months after the intervention. We found a significant increase in closure rates among treatment restaurants due to the interventions, with an average of 9.5% increase toward maximum possible lid closure. Restaurants achieving 80%+ closure received "Gold Star Awards" to further stimulate community‐wide behavior change by publicly recognizing and encouraging desired behaviors. We summarize dumpster closure rates from similar interventions in nearby Joshua Tree and across the Coachella Valley to illustrate how local social norms may influence behavior. Abstract : Behavioral change intervention led to significant dumpster closure rates, restricting additional food subsidies to invasive ravens in both communities. This will benefit the threatened desert tortoise, a common prey item of ravens. Research Highlights: Restaurants receiving in‐person communications and behavior‐prompting signage experienced a significant 9.5% greater increase in dumpster closure rate than those receiving no outreach. Waste truck drivers were largely responsible for dumpsters left open.