Abstract
General public inclusion in nature conservation is crucial to accomplish wildlife species recovery. Mammal and bird species usually receive most of the research and general public attention, leaving aside other taxa species. It is necessary to obtain general public support towards other taxa species by emphasizing ecological attributes. Here we test if the disclosure of the threatened and endemic status of amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, could increase general public support. Additionally, we wanted to identify if the threatened and endemic status could implicate a difference in support. Interviews (N: 359) were conducted among the general public in Valdivia, Chile, to elicit the support, allocation of a fictional fixed amount of conservation funds (WTS), towards native wildlife species. The species were two mammals, and four bird species, none threatened nor endemic, and two amphibians, one fish, and three invertebrates, all threatened and endemic. The WTS was derived on two occasions for each participant. Firstly presenting colorful pictures with the name of the species and, secondly, adding the threatened and endemic status in two separate treatments. Results indicated mammal and bird species with significantly higher WTS when pictures and names were provided. The main driver was a misperception of the threatened status of these species. When the threatened and endemic status was disclosed, the WTS significantly shift towards the amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. No difference in the WTS was spotted between the threatened or endemic status. As our results indicate participants associate charismatic species (mammal and birds) with threatened status. We encourage nature conservation entities to promote a broader spectrum of wildlife species by emphasizing conservation needs.
Highlights
Large-sized vertebrates species, like mammals and birds, have been the focus of research studies over non-mammalian and bird species as reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates species (Donaldson et al 2017), possibly owing to low public preferences for this last group of species (Jarić et al 2019)
Aesthetic and negativistic attitudes of the general public could explain, to some extent, non-mammalian and bird species being ignored in research and general public attention
As the endemic rate of wildlife species in Chile is globally one of the highest (Mittermeier et al 2011), we considered the study area appropriate to identify if the disclosure of the threatened and endemic status of wildlife species could raise a difference on support by the general public
Summary
Large-sized vertebrates species, like mammals and birds, have been the focus of research studies over non-mammalian and bird species as reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates species (Donaldson et al 2017), possibly owing to low public preferences for this last group of species (Jarić et al 2019). The general public tends to support mammal and bird species over other taxa (Albert et al 2018; Colléony et al 2017; Kellert 1996; Knight 2008; Liordos et al 2017; Tisdell et al 2006; Tisdell and Wilson 2006). Liordos et al (2017) and Knight (2008) had quantified these concepts to predict the main drivers of support by the general public towards wildlife species. Their results revealed that mammal and bird species overall received a high aesthetic score and low negativistic value, being the opposite for non-mammalian and bird species. Albert et al (2018) identified that the general public associated large-sized vertebrates with charismatic species, usually perceived with high aesthetic value (Knight 2008; Liordos et al 2017). A potential side effect of this is that non-mammalian and bird species remain anonymous to the general public
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