How to argue for conservation of biodiversity
The definition of an effective argument is one that encourages people to value biodiversity and to invest and participate in its protection. Clear communication, education and public awareness are therefore crucial to achieving this goal. The BESAFE (Biodiversity and ecosystem services: arguments for our future environment) analysed the effectiveness of different arguments for biodiversity conservation in a range of situations. It has produced guidelines that can help improve how we argue for conservation, thereby convincingly demonstrating the value of diversity to policymakers. A case study approach was used to investigate how much importance people attribute to different arguments for protecting biodiversity and the services provided by ecosystems. The consortium focused on arguments employed by policymakers at different government levels and under different ecological and socioeconomic contexts. Researchers developed a framework to sum up the observed and potential effectiveness of the different ways to argue for biodiversity protection. This framework offers insights into the changing effectiveness of different types of arguments. It will be disseminated via a publicly available database with the aid of a user-friendly tool, which was developed in cooperation with stakeholders. The system will be used to clearly demonstrate to policymakers the value of biodiversity. This will be achieved by leading them through the use and effectiveness of the different arguments in a range of scenarios. Argument maps based on documents and interviews with EU informants were used to provide a visual representation of the structure of the argument. The criteria for the selection of detailed case studies were also outlined together with a supporting text. It was found that a successful outcome largely depends on convincing actors at all levels of the necessity and benefits of protecting and investing in biodiversity. It also highlights the active role participants need to play in this process. BESAFE will increase awareness of the importance of persuasive arguments for policymakers and stakeholders, the implementation of policy, and communication and participation. It will help to main stream biodiversity concerns across all policy areas, including agriculture, forestry and urban planning.
Keywords
Policymakers, biodiversity, communication, education, public awareness, BESAFE, ecosystem services, conservation
