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Evaluating conservation biology texts for bias in biodiversity representation
Katherine Stahl1, Christopher A Lepczyk1, Rebecca A Christoffel2
1School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America.
Plos One
|July 11, 2020
Summary
Conservation biology textbooks lack fair representation of Earth's biodiversity, with uneven species and ecosystem coverage. This bias may impact future scientists and conservation practitioners.
Area of Science:
- Conservation Biology
- Biodiversity Studies
- Ecology Education
Background:
- Textbooks are crucial for educating scientists and practitioners.
- Fair representation of biodiversity is essential in conservation biology.
- Existing research biases may influence textbook content.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate contemporary conservation biology textbooks for representative coverage of Earth's biodiversity.
- To identify potential biases in species, ecosystem, and geographic representation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of content in current conservation biology textbooks.
- Assessment of representation across species, ecosystems, continents, and human influences.
Main Results:
- Textbooks showed uneven representation of species, ecosystems, and continents.
- Few examples included genetic diversity.
- Negative human impacts were more frequently cited than positive ones.
- Aquatic and terrestrial representation was balanced.
Conclusions:
- Conservation biology textbooks exhibit significant biases in biodiversity coverage.
- This uneven representation could affect the education of future conservation professionals.
- Recommendations for more balanced textbook content are needed.
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