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Creating effective environmental communication strategies: A ten step guide for practitioners
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Manfred Oepen, Sean Southey

Gland (CH): International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (2026), xi, 143 pp.

"Creating Effective Environmental Communication Strategies offers conservation professionals a straightforward, ten-step guide for designing and delivering strategic communication that drives measurable conservation impacts. Written for government focal points, NGO staff, scientists, privatesector ... partners, community organisers, and the communication specialists who support them, the guide positions communication as a core management tool rather than a last-minute public relations add-on. At its core, the guide recognises that conservation succeeds only when people change unsustainable practices as a result of targeted attitude changes and knowledge gains. In this process, information alone is not the missing link between a problem and a solution. Instead, the authors frame communication as a two-way, participatory dialogue in which meaning and messages are co-created by and with audiences rather than bombarded on them. Drawing on holistic learning models (Head-Heart-Hands) and KAP-related social marketing insights about incentives, audience segmentation, media selection, and storytelling the guide shows practitioners how to move all parties involved from “being aware” to “ready for action” in ten logically consistent steps that build on each other. The ten steps unfold across four phases of a project life cycle. Assessment covers situation analysis, stakeholder and KAP research, and the drafting of specific, measurable communication objectives. Planning stress-tests the change hypothesis, secures partner buy-in, and selects the most effective media mix for each audience segment. Production walks teams through message design, media and material production, and pre-testing for clarity, socio-cultural fit, and call for action. Finally, Action & Reflection guides roll-out, adaptive management, and rigorous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) that feed lessons back into future work. Throughout this management cycle, the guide insists on regular learning loops so adjustments happen in real time rather than ex-post. A separate SeedBox of more than thirty plug-and-play so-called “seeds”—stakeholder maps, force field diagrams, media use planners, indicator scorecards, and more—anchors every step, enabling users to apply concepts immediately without reinventing templates. Case studies such as Venezuela’s Flying Together campaign related to threatened bird species and the nationwide conservation radio drama as part of My Green Mongolia translate theory into real-world outcomes and demonstrate how adaptable the framework is to different cultures, languages, and resource levels." (Executive summary) more

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Communicating the Environment in Laos

Manfred Oepen

Global Media Journal - German Edition, volume 11, issue 1 (2021), 22 pp.

"This article reflects experiences and results from an environmental education and communication strategy (EECS) as part of a Lao-German development project of Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2021. The article is divided into four parts. First ... more

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National Environmental Education and Communication Strategy for the Protected Areas System in Mongolia

Manfred Oepen

ACT Assist; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2020), 24 pp.

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Environmental Education and Communication and the Agenda 2030

Bangkok: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2018), 29 pp.

"The Agenda 2030 strives for a transformative approach that requires a broad shift in values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and practices towards more sustainable societies. In this debate on sustainable development, environmental communication and learning processes are driving forces for success. Crit ... more

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Strategic Communication for ABS: A Conceptual Guide and Toolkit for Practitioners

Kathrin Heidbrink, Manfred Oepen

ABS Capacity Development Initiative; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2012), 86 pp.

"This Guide offers advice about the role, relevance and use of communication for implementing Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) systems at the national level. It provides an overview of communication considerations, approaches and methods for the different phases of ABS implementation. Establishing A ... more

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Strategic Communication for Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Overview

Manfred Oepen

Eschborn: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) (2006), 61 pp.

"[...] communication is rarely integrated in development cooperation programs as a strategic tool. For this reason an Interest Group on Strategic Communication for Sustainable Development was established. The group, with GTZ Rioplus in the lead, comprises members of GTZ, other German development coo ... more

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Schlussbericht zur Designstudie Medienförderung im Rahmen der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit

Manfred Oepen, Christine Abele

Bonn: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) (2003), 60 pp. + approx. 50 pp.

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Standort Medienförderung? Förderung von Journalisten und Medien in der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit

Manfred Oepen

Der Überblick, issue 4 (2003), pp. 66-69

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Move Manual: Moderation and Visualization for Group Events

Manfred Oepen

Berlin: InWEnt; ACT Appropriate Communication in Development (2003), 108 pp.

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Medienwelten - Information und Macht

Der Überblick, issue 4 (2003), 149 pp.

"Viele autoritäre Regime fürchten den unkontrollierten Informationsfluss, gerade weil er gemeinsames Handeln ermöglicht und ihre Herrschaft gefährden könnte. Auch manche Kulturkritiker würden gerne Informationen kanalisieren, um einen Kulturimperialismus abzuwehren, bei dem sich ihrer Ansicht ... more

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Umweltkommunikation für einen nachhaltigen Naturschutz: Eine Orientierungshilfe für WWF-Projekte

Manfred Oepen

Frankfurt am Main: WWF Deutschland (2002), 57 pp.

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Arbeitsmappe Praxis und Perspektiven der deutschen Medienförderung

Aachen; Bonn: Catholic Media Council (CAMECO); Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED); Fachstelle Eine Welt Medien (2002), 115 pp.

"Listet die Profile von 21 in der Medien- und Journalistenförderung tätigen Institutionen auf, vom BMZ bis zum Solidaritätsfonds Demokratische Medien in der Welt. Außerdem sind die folgenden Veröffentlichungen beigefügt: Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage "Förderung der Medien ... more

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Communicating the Environment: Environmental Communication for Sustainable Development

Manfred Oepen, Winfried Hamacher (eds.)

Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang (2000), 295 pp.

"A group of international communication and environmental specialists have put together a reader on environmental communication (EnvCom) that show-cases related concepts, success stories and lessons learned in this field. The book, written in a non-academic language, lobbies for the recognition, sup ... more

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Media Support and Development Communication: The Situation in Germany

Manfred Oepen

In: Media Support and Development Communication in a World of Change: New Answers to Old Questions? Proceedings from an International Conference, Berlin, November 19-20, 1993

Manfred Oepen (ed.)

Bad Honnef: Horlemann (1995), pp. 78-85

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Media Support and Development Communication in a World of Change: New Answers to Old Questions? Proceedings from an International Conference, Berlin, November 19-20, 1993

Manfred Oepen (ed.)

Bad Honnef: Horlemann (1995), 207 pp.

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Umweltbildung: Erwartungen - Erfahrungen - Empfehlungen

Hans Ulrich Fuhrke, Thomas Krüger, Manfred Oepen

Wedemark (DE): ACT Appropriate Communication in Development (1994), 54 pp.

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Communication and Development: Mainstream and Off-Stream Perspectives. A German View

Franz-Josef Eilers, Manfred Oepen

In: Communication in Development

Fred L. Casmir (ed.)

Norwood: Ablex (1991), pp. 293-318

"Regarding the use of traditional communication for development, a holistic view and not just an isolated study of one or another medium or tradition is thus essential. Such an approach is the subject of a field of research and study which would be called ethnocommunication. Ethocommunication is "th ... e description and study of communication means, communication structures and communication processses in cultural units" (Eilers, 1986). After the study and description of different traditional means of communication available in a given society or culture, it is important to analyze their use and their relationships with each other as well as within the life of a community. Who and what determines the communication processes of the people concerned? Here, of course, the social structure comes to mind immediately. Such a structure definitely will be an important element, as it will determine where the different communicators and recipients are to be placed within the respective society. The social structure also gives the different communication processes their weight and importance, or their irrelevance, within that society. The importance of such social structures and of such networks of communication has been described in more general terms already. In addition, however, the importance of the value structure of a society must be considered and studied, especially in relation to traditional means of communication and communication for development in general [...] At this point, we also must ask what we mean by development. We definitely do not define development as transfer of technology or technological information only. More importantly, awareness of a peoples' own culture, society, expectations, and needs should be emphasized. In addition, the awareness of a given people of themselves and of the possibilities and alternatives they have within the existing framework of action, and how they are constrained by material and human resources, should be increased. Instead of being directed or dominated by urban-centered local or foreign "change agents," and by approaches resulting from concern with political power or prestige, people everywhere need to become aware of their indigenous values which have always been flexibly related to changes, but which have also given their lives a firm foundation and coherence, often for centuries. They should also become aware of their own existing communication media and networks, and should be assisted in building on them communication alternatives for development. The Christian churches, especially in Latin America, are going through an experience which have made them aware that it is not the institutionalized church or parish which moves people and makes them live their faith, but small Christian communities. Small groups of people coming together, reading the Bible, and discussing their daily life situation in the light of the scriptures are becoming a driving force, and they apparently have released new powers and talents among average and even poor people. Something similar is needed in all communication for development. The ethnocommunication approach thus seems to be one way to study how communication "means," structures and processes input in daily life by taking not only the social but also the value structures of a society into careful consideration. On the other hand, ethnocommunication should not be regarded as merely another method for selling goods or ideas, but to better make people understand their own situations and opportunities and, going on from there, help them decide if and how they want to develop new ways of dealing with contemporary challenges and opportunities." (Pages 304-307) more

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Development Support Communication in Indonesia

Manfred Oepen (ed.)

Jakarta: Friedrich Naumann Stiftung; Indonesian Society for Pesantren and Community Development (P3M) (1988), v, 141 pp.

Creating effective environmental communication strategies: A ten step guide for practitioners Key Guides

Creating effective environmental communication strategies: A ten step guide for practitioners
Key Guides