A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
On the overlap between scientific and societal taxonomic attentions - Insights for conservation
Authors: Jaric I, Correia RA, Roberts DL, Gessner J, Meinard Y, Courchamp F
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Publication year: 2019
Journal: Science of the Total Environment
Journal name in source: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Journal acronym: SCI TOTAL ENVIRON
Volume: 648
First page : 772
Last page: 778
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 0048-9697
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.198
Abstract
Attention directed at different species by society and science is particularly relevant within the field of conservation, as societal preferences will strongly impact support for conservation initiatives and their success. Here, we assess the association between societal and research interests in four charismatic and threatened species groups, derived from a range of different online sources and social media platforms as well as scientific publications. We found a high level of concordance between scientific and societal taxonomic attention, which was consistent among assessed species groups and media sources. Results indicate that research is apparently not as disconnected from the interests of society as it is often reproached, and that societal support for current research objectives should be adequate. While the high degree of similarity between scientific and societal interest is both striking and satisfying, the dissimilarities are also interesting, as new scientific findings may constitute a constant source of novel interest for the society. In that respect, additional efforts will be necessary to draw scientific and societal focus towards less charismatic species that are in urgent need of research and conservation attention. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Attention directed at different species by society and science is particularly relevant within the field of conservation, as societal preferences will strongly impact support for conservation initiatives and their success. Here, we assess the association between societal and research interests in four charismatic and threatened species groups, derived from a range of different online sources and social media platforms as well as scientific publications. We found a high level of concordance between scientific and societal taxonomic attention, which was consistent among assessed species groups and media sources. Results indicate that research is apparently not as disconnected from the interests of society as it is often reproached, and that societal support for current research objectives should be adequate. While the high degree of similarity between scientific and societal interest is both striking and satisfying, the dissimilarities are also interesting, as new scientific findings may constitute a constant source of novel interest for the society. In that respect, additional efforts will be necessary to draw scientific and societal focus towards less charismatic species that are in urgent need of research and conservation attention. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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