Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Wildlife and Science Division, Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Zoo Biol. 2024 Sep-Oct;43(5):435-446. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21847. Epub 2024 Jun 27.
Zoological institutions frequently engage in indirect conservation activities as global conservation targets suggest a need for raising public awareness and engagement in biodiversity conservation. However, research suggests that while members of the public are typically aware of general conservation issues, they are often uncertain of simple and practical actions they take that will be impactful. In light of current conservation goals and targets, and the need for social science research to address the environmental learning and behavior change gap, this study builds upon prior action-based environmental education research and tests the efficacy of ex situ environmental education in supporting in situ conservation. Zoos typically employ flagship species to center their conservation messaging due to the purported draw of charismatic species. Using outreach videos with a dialogic-based narrative approach, we evaluated the efficacy of different flagships for conservation, comparing both species-focused versus generic conservation messaging and charismatic versus less charismatic species ambassadors. We found that zoo conservation outreach videos using dialogic-based narrative approaches were equally impactful regardless of the level of focus (i.e., species vs. broader biodiversity) or charisma level of the focal taxa.
动物学机构经常开展间接保护活动，因为全球保护目标表明需要提高公众意识并参与生物多样性保护。然而，研究表明，尽管公众通常了解一般的保护问题，但他们往往不确定自己采取的哪些简单而实用的行动会产生影响。鉴于当前的保护目标和任务，以及社会科学研究需要解决环境学习和行为改变差距的问题，本研究在前基于行动的环境教育研究的基础上，测试了异地环境教育在支持就地保护方面的效果。由于所谓的魅力物种吸引力，动物园通常使用旗舰物种来集中宣传其保护信息。本研究使用基于对话的叙述方法的外展视频，评估了不同旗舰物种对保护的效果，比较了针对特定物种的保护信息与通用保护信息，以及有魅力的物种与缺乏魅力的物种的宣传者。我们发现，无论焦点（即物种与更广泛的生物多样性）或焦点分类群的魅力程度如何，使用基于对话的叙述方法的动物园保护外展视频都同样有效。
