When feathers fell from fashion: unpacking the end of the UK plumage trade
5 affiliations
- 1Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent 1 , Canterbury, UK
- 2Department of Science and Conservation, San Diego Botanic Garden 2 , Encinitas, CA, USA
- 3Salk Institute for Biological Studies 3 , La Jolla, CA, USA
- 4Environment Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford 4 , Oxford, UK
- 5Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Biology, University of Oxford 5 , Oxford, UK
Abstract
By the mid-twentieth century, the previously booming bird feather trade was a fraction of what it was in its prime, allowing for the recovery of many bird species. We use a qualitative impact evaluation method to assign probable causality to different drivers of this change, ultimately providing expert-supported explanations of how a large-scale behaviour change was enacted to benefit conservation. We outline a method for applying general elimination methodology plus (GEM+), accounting for different facets of evidence reliability, to generate conclusions on most strongly supported causes of change. GEM+ addresses calls for an increase in impact evaluation in conservation, which will require a range of tools, including qualitative, to fill. Analysis of diverse evidence using GEM+ suggests that conservation advocacy, interacting with broader contextual factors, plausibly contributed to a shift in public behaviour that was instrumental in the passage of the Plumage Act and the subsequent end of the trade. This case study has widespread implications for designing effective behaviour change campaigns, as well as providing a framework for conducting impact evaluations in a range of conservation settings.
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BibTeX
@article{sinclair2026when,
title = {{When feathers fell from fashion: unpacking the end of the UK plumage trade}},
author = {Sally L. Sinclair and Audrey Dickinson and Diogo Veríssimo},
journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rsos.252133},
url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/252133/483758/When-feathers-fell-from-fashion-unpacking-the-end},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - When feathers fell from fashion: unpacking the end of the UK plumage trade
AU - Sally L. Sinclair
AU - Audrey Dickinson
AU - Diogo Veríssimo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Royal Society Open Science
DO - 10.1098/rsos.252133
UR - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/252133/483758/When-feathers-fell-from-fashion-unpacking-the-end
AB - By the mid-twentieth century, the previously booming bird feather trade was a fraction of what it was in its prime, allowing for the recovery of many bird species. We use a qualitative impact evaluation method to assign probable causality to different drivers of this change, ultimately providing expert-supported explanations of how a large-scale behaviour change was enacted to benefit conservation. We outline a method for applying general elimination methodology plus (GEM+), accounting for different facets of evidence reliability, to generate conclusions on most strongly supported causes of change. GEM+ addresses calls for an increase in impact evaluation in conservation, which will require a range of tools, including qualitative, to fill. Analysis of diverse evidence using GEM+ suggests that conservation advocacy, interacting with broader contextual factors, plausibly contributed to a shift in public behaviour that was instrumental in the passage of the Plumage Act and the subsequent end of the trade. This case study has widespread implications for designing effective behaviour change campaigns, as well as providing a framework for conducting impact evaluations in a range of conservation settings.
SN - 2054-5703
ER -