Stewardship Research

Stewardship Research

Communication
Norms Analysis

Exploring how stewardship norms are communicated across Great Barrier Reef agricultural sectors

3,796
Total Norms
80
Sources Analyzed

Understanding Communication Norms

Analysis of stewardship communication across agricultural sectors in Great Barrier Reef catchments

This research analyzed communication artifacts from agricultural sectors across Great Barrier Reef catchments to understand how stewardship norms are communicated. We identified two types of norms:

Descriptive Norms

What people actually do - describing current practices

"237 farms have received one-on-one agronomic support to create spatially mapped whole-farm nutrient plans"

Injunctive Norms

What people should do - prescribing recommended practices

"Farmers should maintain vegetation buffers along waterways"

Each norm was analyzed across eight attributes: who communicates it (communicator), who it's about (actor), what practice it describes, recognition systems, geographic scale, outcomes, and more.

Norm Distribution

Distribution of norms by producer type and communication channel

Norm Types

Explore Norm Attributes

Interactive exploration of how norms vary across different dimensions

Geographic Distribution

Where communication norms are focused across Great Barrier Reef regions

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Non-specific (2900)
Burdekin (368)
Wet Tropics (193)
Fitzroy (143)
Mackay-Whitsundays (101)
Burnett-Mary (68)
Cape York (23)

Key Findings

Main insights from the communication norms analysis

Industry vs Government

Industry sources communicate more injunctive norms, while government sources favor descriptive norms

Farm-Centered Benefits

Most norms emphasize economic and productivity benefits rather than environmental outcomes

Trusted Messengers

Farmer and industry voices carry more weight than government communications