Public attitudes towards biodiversity and its management are poorly understood, raising concerns over the effectiveness of public participation in biodiversity policy making. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with members of the public to assess attitudes towards the management of an island ecosystem in which the abundance of the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is compromised by the expansion of an invasive plant, tree mallow (Lavatera arborea).
Our work found factors such as balance and naturalness were strongly important to the respondents. The findings provide evidence that social attitudes offer valuable and meaningful information to biodiversity policymakers and managers, and allow insights into the way value judgments influence biodiversity management and conservation.
Anke Fischer [1]
Links:
[1] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/staff/anke-fischer
[2] https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.10.026