Navigation Links
Relating animals to humans could help conservation projects

In a paper published by the journal Biodiversity Conservation, the researchers also suggest that anthropomorphism is overlooked as a powerful tool for promoting low-profile species that are either endangered or require urgent attention.

At present, anthropomorphism in conservation is limited to social, intelligent animals, such as chimpanzees, polar bears and dolphins. According to the research, this would imply that other species are not worthy of conservation because they are not like humans in the 'right' ways.

However, by making conservationists more aware of how people construct anthropomorphic meanings around species and how they engage with species and attribute value to their characteristics e.g. people may attribute personhood or emotions to species that they play with, such as pets or even livestock they can create conservation programmes which speak to people through their cultural expectations and emotional connections.

Co-author, Diogo Verissimo of the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation Ecology (DICE), said: 'Anthropomorphisation of species is a common way for people to relate to other species but as a conservation tool it is under-used and is not being utilised as a way of effectively promoting the relationships between people and nature through conservation programmes.

'Despite there being some limitations of using anthropomorphism, for example inappropriate expectations of animals' behaviour or species picking up negative social stereotypes by being human-like, there is a need for more research in marketing and social sciences that will lead to more effective used of anthropomorphism in conservation outreach.'

Lead author, Dr Meredith Root-Bernstein of the University of Oxford, said: 'Scientists have been wary of anthropomorphism for a long time, because it was seen as leading to unscientific hypotheses about animal behaviour. But as conservationists we can look at it as a kind of popular folk theory of the similarities between humans and all other species. These popular ways of relating to the natural world are powerful and we should try to understand and work with them.'


University of Kent

Related biology news :

1. LLNL scientists make new discoveries in the transmission of viruses between animals and humans
2. Bladder function restored in animals with severe spinal cord injury
3. Are we pushing animals over the edge?
4. Climate change will cause widespread global-scale loss of common plants and animals
5. Decline in snow cover spells trouble for many plants, animals
6. Rescue me: New study finds animals do recover from neglect
7. New test for skin sensitization without using animals
8. Biodiversity does not reduce transmission of disease from animals to humans
9. Discovery may explain how prion diseases spread between different types of animals
10. Scientists discover how animals taste, and avoid, high salt concentrations
11. Hastings Center resources chart progress in debate over medical research with animals
Post Your Comments:
(Date:4/5/2017)... 4, 2017 KEY FINDINGS The ... at a CAGR of 25.76% during the forecast period ... primary factor for the growth of the stem cell ... MARKET INSIGHTS The global stem cell market ... and geography. The stem cell market of the product ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):
(Date:10/6/2017)... ... October 06, 2017 , ... ... lunch discussion and webinar on INSIGhT, the first-ever adaptive clinical trial for glioblastoma ... Cancer Institute. The event is free and open to the public, but registration ...
Breaking Biology Technology: