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16 Engaging the Public in Biodiversity Issues--MICHAEL J. NOVACEK
Pages 297-316

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From page 297...
... Educational programming, media, exhibitions, and other means of public outreach should build on the welcome increase in public interest in global warming by demonstrating the interplay of various environmental disruptions. In the case of biodiversity, the importance of species in providing ecosystem American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024.
From page 298...
... If biodiversity was still not a commonly recognized word, a broader public at least seemed to be getting the message that precious natural habitats and their species were under intense siege. In addition, scientific institutions, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
From page 299...
... Much of the current stasis is ascribed to the antagonism of corporate interests and lack of vision, and even resistance, of leaders and governments (Biodiversity Project, 2002; Shellenberger and Nordhaus, 2007)
From page 300...
... , include science illiteracy, the related lack of public familiarity with ecological and evolutionary processes that inform conservation issues, an uncertainty as to why biodiversity conservation is good for individuals and society, a lack or impoverishment of experiences that put people into nature, the disinterest or even antagonism of media and other potential partners in outreach, mistrust of government, information overkill, and competitive choices (even often subliminal ones) , such as unsustainable consumerism.
From page 301...
... Surely biodiversity does not have the immediate recognition of phrases denoting other environmental aspirations, for example, ‘‘pure water'' or ‘‘clean air.'' Even when one moves closer to its real meaning, the word biodiversity suggests only that there is a great variety of life forms; it does not lead one to recognize the interconnectedness of these forms in ecosystems. At the very least, the word requires vigilant and repeated explanation when communicating with the public, and this is a disadvantage in an age when metaphors and sound bites carry so much weight (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980; Lakoff, 2002)
From page 302...
... Evidence of Positive Public Response However, there is also evidence the public is prepared and motivated to understand the biodiversity crisis more accurately and profoundly. Since the mid-1990s, several surveys have monitored public attitudes on biodiversity loss and biodiversity conservation.
From page 303...
... Answers could be potentially instructive in efforts to deliver a more multidimensional and realistic message, one where biodiversity loss still looms important in the public arena. Climate change, like biodiversity loss, has its scientifically complex and more subtle facets.
From page 304...
... There is now a tendency in public dialogue to decouple various environmental problems and ignore their synergistic effects. Thus, people may find it hard to recognize that it is the ‘‘double whammy'' of climate change in combination with fragmented degraded natural habitats, and not climate change alone, that is the real threat to many species and ecosystems, including human populations marginalized and displaced by those combined forces (Lovejoy and Hannah, 2005; Malhi et al., 2008)
From page 305...
... CRAFTING THE MESSAGE A consistent result in surveys of public attitudes is that the basic message, that the biodiversity enormously important to the sustainability of the environment and the quality of our own lives is at serious risk, is not getting across to many of the target audiences. Moreover, the message carries some unfamiliar terminology, as noted above in the case of the word biodiversity itself, that requires constant attention and clarification.
From page 306...
... not only illuminate basic scientific principles concerning the necessary interaction of species in providing habitats rich in resources, they also provide useful options for agriculture that achieve a balance between providing productive cropland and sustaining biodiversity. Biodiversity science, collecting, surveying, identifying, classifying, mapping, and analyzing species, of course provides the important database for all these arguments (Wilson, 1992)
From page 307...
... . An effective argument here is that biodiversity emphatically plays a role in strategies for more sustainable agriculture, one that calls for the development of croplands that mix agriculture with natural components and thus provide both crop foods and restored ecosystem services (Foley et al., 2005)
From page 308...
... Such pressures lead to conflict. Many important areas rich in biodiversity lie on international borders, especially tropical rain forests between nations that have not always maintained the most peaceful relations.
From page 309...
... A comprehensive examination of these mechanisms and strategies for delivering the message lie beyond the scope of this chapter. Here, I focus on some practical issues that involve a few key elements in the process: the media, venues for public science education, and public participation, sometimes also referred to as ‘‘citizen science.''
From page 310...
... Another reality of news coverage that frustrates an effort to cultivate public interest in an issue such as biodiversity loss is that stories die easily. The discovery of a hirsute deep-sea crab (Dean, 2006)
From page 311...
... Educational programming can be powerfully transmitted by media, as indicated by the large audiences that view nature programs and other science series on television. Over the past 10 years, the number of programs on network and cable devoted to science has proliferated, but this is not necessarily accompanied by an increase in the average quality and effectiveness of these offerings (Dingwall and Aldridge, 2006)
From page 312...
... Exhibits and educational programs that not only dazzle but also address issues of substance, including the biodiversity crisis, have been slow in coming. Many permanent museum exhibits with environmental topics have not been revised since they first opened decades ago or are not complemented by new halls that address current themes (Novacek, 2001b)
From page 313...
... Public Participation: Citizen Science A relatively new effort aimed at eliciting public engagement, dubbed citizen science, involves public–professional partnerships that allow people of all ages an opportunity to participate in real scientific research and to interact with scientists in the process (Cohen, 1997; Brossard et al., 2005)
From page 314...
... , points the way for greater connections with the public on biodiversity issues. Given the recent transformation of public response, it is more important than ever to show that environmental degradation represents a multidimensional problem in which biodiversity loss and other factors, in addition to climate change, have serious impacts.
From page 315...
... Investments in these actions must be strengthened and their strategies revisited and refined. Most importantly, the critical roles of species in providing ecosystem services, natural beauty and pleasure, and sustaining human lives bear a message that requires constant attention, recrafting, and improved deliverance to impact diverse public audiences.


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