Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation

Given its extensive volume and reach, social media has the potential to widely spread conservation messaging and be a powerful tool to mobilize social change for conserving biodiversity. We synthesized gray and primary academic literature to investigate the effects of social media on wildlife conser...

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Main Authors: Jordanna N. Bergman, Rachel T. Buxton, Hsien-Yung Lin, Magdalena Lenda, Kayla Attinello, Adrianne C. Hajdasz, Stephanie A. Rivest, Thuong Tran Nguyen, Steven J. Cooke, Joseph R. Bennett
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2022-01-01
Series:FACETS
Subjects:
Online Access:https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0112
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author Jordanna N. Bergman
Rachel T. Buxton
Hsien-Yung Lin
Magdalena Lenda
Kayla Attinello
Adrianne C. Hajdasz
Stephanie A. Rivest
Thuong Tran Nguyen
Steven J. Cooke
Joseph R. Bennett
author_facet Jordanna N. Bergman
Rachel T. Buxton
Hsien-Yung Lin
Magdalena Lenda
Kayla Attinello
Adrianne C. Hajdasz
Stephanie A. Rivest
Thuong Tran Nguyen
Steven J. Cooke
Joseph R. Bennett
author_sort Jordanna N. Bergman
collection DOAJ
description Given its extensive volume and reach, social media has the potential to widely spread conservation messaging and be a powerful tool to mobilize social change for conserving biodiversity. We synthesized gray and primary academic literature to investigate the effects of social media on wildlife conservation, revealing several overarching benefits and risks. We found that social media can increase pro-conservation behaviours among the public, increase conservation funding, and incite policy changes. Conversely, social media can contribute to species exploitation and illegal trade, cause unprecedented increases in tourism in protected areas, and perpetuate anti-conservation behaviours via misinformation. In most cases, we found that content sharing on social media did not result in a detectable impact on conservation; in this paper, however, we focus on providing examples where conservation impact was achieved. We relate these positive and negative outcomes of social media to psychological phenomena that may influence conservation efforts and discuss limitations of our findings. We conclude with recommendations of best practices to social media administrators, public social media users, nongovernmental organizations, and governing agencies to minimize conservation risks while maximizing beneficial outcomes. By improving messaging, policing online misconduct, and providing guidance for action, social media can help achieve wildlife conservation goals.
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spelling doaj.art-d909ec9dcfe343d791fd2403bae9ab802022-12-21T16:58:19ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712022-01-01736039710.1139/facets-2021-0112Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservationJordanna N. Bergman0Rachel T. Buxton1Hsien-Yung Lin2Magdalena Lenda3Kayla Attinello4Adrianne C. Hajdasz5Stephanie A. Rivest6Thuong Tran Nguyen7Steven J. Cooke8Joseph R. Bennett9Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 111 Ren’ai Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, ChinaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Avenue E, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaGiven its extensive volume and reach, social media has the potential to widely spread conservation messaging and be a powerful tool to mobilize social change for conserving biodiversity. We synthesized gray and primary academic literature to investigate the effects of social media on wildlife conservation, revealing several overarching benefits and risks. We found that social media can increase pro-conservation behaviours among the public, increase conservation funding, and incite policy changes. Conversely, social media can contribute to species exploitation and illegal trade, cause unprecedented increases in tourism in protected areas, and perpetuate anti-conservation behaviours via misinformation. In most cases, we found that content sharing on social media did not result in a detectable impact on conservation; in this paper, however, we focus on providing examples where conservation impact was achieved. We relate these positive and negative outcomes of social media to psychological phenomena that may influence conservation efforts and discuss limitations of our findings. We conclude with recommendations of best practices to social media administrators, public social media users, nongovernmental organizations, and governing agencies to minimize conservation risks while maximizing beneficial outcomes. By improving messaging, policing online misconduct, and providing guidance for action, social media can help achieve wildlife conservation goals.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0112endangered speciesFacebookInstagraminvasive speciesinternetTwitter
spellingShingle Jordanna N. Bergman
Rachel T. Buxton
Hsien-Yung Lin
Magdalena Lenda
Kayla Attinello
Adrianne C. Hajdasz
Stephanie A. Rivest
Thuong Tran Nguyen
Steven J. Cooke
Joseph R. Bennett
Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
FACETS
endangered species
Facebook
Instagram
invasive species
internet
Twitter
title Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
title_full Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
title_fullStr Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
title_short Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
title_sort evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation
topic endangered species
Facebook
Instagram
invasive species
internet
Twitter
url https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0112
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