Language matters for biodiversity

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Linguistics
• Conservation Science

Background:

• Effective communication of ecological knowledge to nonexperts is crucial for biodiversity conservation.
• Scientists often use analogy and narrative to convey complex environmental concepts.
• Understanding public discourse on biodiversity is essential for ecological literacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the public uses analogical and narrative reasoning in everyday conversations about biodiversity.
• To develop a framework for understanding public sense-making of biodiversity.
• To inform participatory and educational approaches in biodiversity research.

Main Methods:

• Public engagement activities were conducted in a UK woodland setting.
• Analysis focused on conversational language used by the public regarding biodiversity.
• A typological framework was developed based on analogical and narrative reasoning principles.

Main Results:

• Identified distinct patterns in how the public employs analogy and narrative to express biodiversity understanding.
• Developed a framework characterizing everyday biodiversity sense-making processes.
• Demonstrated the prevalence of analogical and narrative structures in public discourse on nature.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework offers insights into public engagement with biodiversity.
• Understanding public language use can enhance biodiversity communication and education strategies.
• Future participatory biodiversity research should consider these linguistic dimensions.