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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Audrey Verma
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Wildlife conservation-related organisations increasingly employ new visual technologies in their science communication and public engagement efforts. Here, we examine the use of such technologies for wildlife conservation campaigns. We obtained empirical data from four UK-based organisations through semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Visual technologies were used to provide the knowledge and generate the emotional responses perceived by organisations as being necessary for motivating a sense of caring about wildlife. We term these two aspects ‘microscope’ and ‘spectacle’, metaphorical concepts denoting the duality through which these technologies speak to both the cognitive and the emotional. As conservation relies on public support, organisations have to be seen to deliver information that is not only sufficiently detailed and scientifically credible but also spectacular enough to capture public interest. Our investigation showed that balancing science and entertainment is a difficult undertaking for wildlife-related organisations as there are perceived risks of contriving experiences of nature and obscuring conservation aims.
Author(s): Verma A, Van der Wal R, Fischer A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Ambio
Year: 2015
Volume: 44
Issue: Suppl. 4
Pages: 648-660
Print publication date: 01/11/2015
Online publication date: 27/10/2015
Acceptance date: 15/12/2014
Date deposited: 05/12/2016
ISSN (print): 0044-7447
ISSN (electronic): 1654-7209
Publisher: Springer
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-015-0715-z
DOI: 10.1007/s13280-015-0715-z
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