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Plant conservation initiatives lag behind and receive considerably less funding than animal conservation projects. We explored a potential reason for this bias: a tendency among humans to neither notice nor value plants in the environment. Experimental research and surveys have demonstrated higher preference for, superior recall of and better visual detection of animals compared with plants. This bias has been attributed to perceptual factors such as lack of motion by plants and the tendency of plants to visually blend together but also to cultural factors such as a greater focus on animals informal biological education. In contrast, ethnographic research reveals that many social groups have strong bonds with plants, including nonhierarchical kinship relationships. We argue that plant blindness is common, but not inevitable. If immersed in a plant-affiliated culture, the individual will experience language and practices that enhance capacity to detect, recall, and value plants, something less likely to occur in zoocentric societies. Therefore, conservation programs can contribute to reducing this bias. We considered strategies that might reduce this bias and encourage plant conservation behavior. Psychological research demonstrates that people are more likely to support conservation of species that have human-like characteristics and that support for conservation can be increased by encouraging people to practice empathy and anthropomorphism ofnonhuman species. We argue that support for plant conservation may be garnered through strategies that promote identification and empathy with plants. Las iniciativas de conservación de plantas se quedan atrás y reciben considerablemente menos financiamiento que los proyectos de conservación de animales. Exploramos una posible razón de esta preferencia: una tendencia entre los humanos a no tomar en cuenta ni valorar a las plantas en el ambiente. La investigación experimental y los censos han demostrado una mayor preferencia por, una memoria superior por y una mejor detección visual de los animales en comparación con las plantas. Este sesgo se ha atribuido a factores de percepción como la falta de movimiento de las plantas y la tendencia de las plantas a combinarse entre sí, pero también se atribuye a factores culturales como un mayor enfoque sobre los animales en la educación biológica formal. En contraste, la investigación etnográfica revela que muchos grupos sociales tienen lazos fuertes con las plantas, incluyendo relaciones no-jerárquicas de parentesco. Argumentamos que ignorar a las plantas es común, pero no es inevitable. Si se está inmerso en una cultura afiliada con las plantas, el individuo vivirá lenguajes y prácticas que incrementan la capacidad de detectar, recordar y valorar a las plantas, algo menos probable de ocurrir en las sociedades zoocéntricas. Por esto, los programas de conservación pueden contribuir a reducir este sesgo. Consideramos estrategias que podrían reducir este sesgo y fomentar el comportamiento de conservación de plantas. La investigación psicológica demuestra que las personas tienen mayor probabilidad de apoyar a la conservación de las especies que tienen características humanas y que el apoyo hacia la conservación puede incrementarse si se alienta a las personas a practicar la empatia y el antropomorfismo de especies -humanas. Argumentamos que el apoyo para la conservación de las plantas puede obtenerse por medio de estrategias que promuevan la identificación con y la empatia hacia las plantas.

Researchers in conservation fields have recently highlighted the potential for visual storytelling to convey environmental messages to large audiences. However, an effective model for how such narratives can produce environmental outcomes, such as human–nature connection and pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB), has not yet been developed. Substantial evidence now suggests that narrative is an effective means of changing beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. This effect is demonstrated in diverse disciplines and understood within the theoretical frameworks of narrative persuasion. We propose a conceptual framework for understanding the impacts of environmental films on environmental behaviours, and connection with nature. Linking insights from the narrative persuasion field with those of conservation psychology, we identify three promising pathways through which environmental films might influence their audiences: (a) reduced resistance to environmental messages, (b) interactions with audience identity and (c) meaningful media experiences. This analysis raises key questions and illuminates priority areas for future research, with an aim to complement and extend existing calls to better appreciate the role of film in addressing environmental problems. Research moving forward should focus on understanding the role environmental films can play in connecting people with nature, promoting PEB and the relationship between the two. Specifically, more attention should be paid to the role of deictic shift in encouraging environmental outcomes, the relation between audiences and characters and the power for film to support self‐expansion. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Worsening impacts of climate and ecological change have led to a rise in eco‐distress and related psychological impacts of these crises. Interventions, including both nature‐based activities and contemplative practices, have been developed to help individuals experiencing eco‐distress. However, the integration of contemplation and nature engagement remains unexplored. In this study we explore how these two practices support adaptive outcomes concerning eco‐distress. We conducted 11 semi‐structured interviews and two workshops with teachers and leaders of contemplative nature engagement practices, to understand the practices and pathways linking practices to outcomes related to eco‐distress. Thematic analysis of interview data identified four key pathways to adaptive change: (1) restoration and reduced stress through presence; (2) facing and working with difficult emotions; (3) shifting and expanding self‐boundaries; and (4) strengthening values and commitments to action. These insights build on theoretical work in both contemplative studies and environmental psychology literature by proposing a layered and reciprocal set of mechanisms that build on and reinforce each other over time. Analysis of workshop data identified intervention design recommendations to inform the practical design and implementation of contemplative nature engagement practices for individuals experiencing eco‐distress. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The multifaceted dynamics of values underpin many social-ecological challenges, but there are limited approaches for grappling with them. Participatory scenario planning can be a useful tool to explore and evaluate different approaches in natural disaster management. We developed value-based scenario planning as a general framework and process and applied it to the context of bushfire management in Victoria, Australia. From our application, three scenarios resulted: developing self-reliant people and communities; a safe society: separating people and fuel; and living with nature and bushfire. We found that values could guide the development of relatable scenarios and that value-based scenarios supported the understanding of complex relationships between abstract and concrete values and natural disaster management and planning. We found that scenarios led people to think outside of their area of comfort and fostered reflection, discussion, and consideration for how to bridge value differences. Future applications of value-based scenarios could support communication between decision-making agencies and the public in the face of uncertainty, complexity, and value conflict.

Background The most common environmental citizen science program type, often called “contributory” citizen science, invites volunteers to help with data collection. But is that all their volunteers do? Previous research has tended to consider the knowledge practices of citizen scientists from the perspective of program organizers, or has paid attention to knowledge as simply content (that is, the input, output, and outcomes of programs). There is a need to better understand knowledge practices as experienced by citizen scientists. This exploratory and ethnographic study investigated the knowledge practices of biodiversity monitoring volunteers without making assumptions about what they should do, what they actually do, or their levels of expertise. We conducted semi-structured interviews and participant observation of two citizen science programs in Australia, one recording frog presence and another one monitoring endangered beach birds’ nesting success rates and threats. Results We found that aside from collecting data, volunteers in these contributory biodiversity citizen science programs engaged in a range of knowledge practices. These practices involved not only producing, but also expanding, sharing, and using knowledge in multiple ways, such as asking additional research questions and analyzing data, acquiring and disseminating knowledge of biodiversity and environmental policy, and using citizen science data for advocacy, habitat work, and other conservation efforts. Volunteers carried out some of these practices as part of environmental collectives, not only as individuals, and their participation in and through collectives was often key to their engagement in citizen science programs. Conclusions and implications Recognizing that volunteer practices go beyond what they are officially requested to do is important for being able to acknowledge, value, and support volunteers’ contributions. Citizen science programs may benefit from adopting a less pre-defined understanding of participation in citizen science, instead recognizing that modes of participation evolve and are co-created with participants. Appreciating and making visible the breadth of volunteer knowledge practices could be important for instrumental reasons, such as collecting more and better data, and increasing volunteer engagement and retention. Recognizing the agency of participants in determining what participation is for them can also help in advancing the democratization of science and decision-making.

Wildfire management agencies increasingly seek to understand what the public values and expects to be protected from wildfire and its management. Recent conceptual development demonstrates the utility of considering values at three levels of abstraction: localised valued entities such as people, places and objects; valued attributes of communities and landscapes; and core values, or ideals that guide in life. We used a large-scale survey (n = 1105) in Victoria, Australia, to test and extend this framework. The results confirm the usefulness of the conceptual framework and demonstrate that values that members of the public consider at risk of wildfire are much more diverse than those typically considered in wildfire risk management. Relationships between values at different levels of abstraction are meaningful and reveal the multiple ways that objects, places and people become valued. The research suggests ways to understand and practically incorporate values of the public in wildfire management.

Preferences for animal species may influence public engagement in conservation efforts. However, urban residents often have limited opportunities to learn about and connect emotionally with a wide range of wildlife. Zoos can help bridge this gap, with enclosures and interpretive systems playing a key role in fostering understanding and positive attitudes towards animals. At present, little is known about how the characteristics of enclosures and interpretive systems work together to influence visitors' learning about wildlife. Over a 12‐month period, we assessed the features of enclosures and interpretive facilities at Guangzhou Zoo, China, and captured visitors' wildlife preferences before and after their visits using an open‐ended question. By examining how these features and the overall zoo experience influenced changes in preferences, we aimed to evaluate the zoo's potential for conservation education. Our results showed that zoo visits significantly impacted visitors' wildlife preferences, increasing their fondness for a broader range of species and fostering a greater affinity for relatively unpopular species or taxa. Importantly, the interaction between the number of interpretive signs and three other factors—enclosure size, enclosure type, and the interactivity of interpretive facilities—emerged as key determinants of these preference changes. This study provides valuable insights into improving the design of zoo enclosures and interpretive facilities to support conservation education. Zoo visits significantly influence wildlife preferences, enhancing fondness for a wider range of species and fostering affinity for less popular taxa. The interplay between enclosure and interpretive characteristics proved crucial in driving these changes, highlighting ways to optimize zoo conservation education. 摘要 对动物物种的偏好可能影响公众参与保护的积极性。然而, 城市居民往往缺乏了解和与多种野生动物建立情感联系的机会。动物园可通过展区与解说系统填补这一空白, 在促进游客对动物的理解和积极态度方面发挥着关键作用。但目前, 关于动物园场馆和解说设施的特征如何共同影响游客对野生动物的了解和兴趣仍鲜为人知。在为期12个月的研究中, 我们评估了中国广州动物园的场馆和解说设施特征, 并通过开放式问题收集了游客参观前后对野生动物的喜好数据。我们通过分析这些特征和动物园参观体验对游客动物偏好变化的影响, 旨在评估动物园在保护教育方面的潜力。研究结果表明, 动物园游览能显著影响游客的野生动物偏好变化, 使其对更多物种产生喜爱, 并提升他们对相对冷门物种或类群的好感。值得注意的是, 解说标识牌的数量与场馆规模大小、场馆类型和解说设施互动性这三项因素之间的交互作用, 是驱动偏好变化的关键。我们的研究为优化动物园场馆和解说设施设计提供了重要见解, 以更好地支持动物园保护教育。 Summary People's preferences for certain animals can affect how much they care about wildlife. However, city dwellers often have limited opportunities to learn about or feel connected to a broad range of animals. Zoos can help bridge this gap with their animal exhibits and educational tools. In this study, we examined how zoo visits—along with their enclosures and interpretive facilities—can change visitors' preferences for animals. We found that after visiting the zoo, people liked a wider variety of animals, including those that are usually less popular. Key factors driving these changes included the number of signs, the size and types of enclosures, and the interactivity of interpretive facilities. This study provides useful suggestions for designing zoo enclosures and education tools to better support wildlife conservation education. Practitioner Points ∘ Zoo visits can increase public affection for a broader range of animals, especially noncharismatic species and non‐mammals, highlighting the role of zoos in biodiversity education. ∘ Enclosures and interpretive facilities significantly influence visitors' animal preferences, with the number of signs playing a key role. ∘ The combination of various enclosures and interpretation features can have complementary or reinforcing effects on educational outcomes. To maximize educational effectiveness, it is essential to consider how these elements interact when designing educational spaces in zoos or other educational settings. 简明语言摘要 人们对特定动物的喜好会影响他们对野生动物的关注度, 但城市居民往往缺乏了解和亲近各种野生动物的机会。动物园中的动物场馆和教育设施可以弥补这一不足。本研究希望了解动物园的参观体验、场馆设计和解说设施如何影响游客对动物的喜爱。研究发现, 游客在参观动物园后, 对更多种类的动物产生了兴趣, 尤其是一些通常不受关注的物种。影响这一变化的关键因素包括解说牌数量、场馆大小和类型, 以及教育设施的互动性。本研究为动物园场馆和解说设施的设计提供了实用建议, 以更有效地促进野生动物保护教育。 实践者要点 动物园游览有助于提升公众对更多样化动物的喜爱, 尤其增加了对非明星物种及非哺乳类动物的兴趣, 充分体现了动物园在生物多样性保护教育中的潜力。 动物园的解说设施和场馆设计对公众的动物关注度和喜爱程度有显著影响, 其中解说设施数量起着关键作用。 不同的场馆设计和解说设施之间的教育效果存在互补或协同效应, 设计基于场域的教育设施时, 应关注各因素之间的相互作用, 以最大化保护教育成效。

Plants cultivated in gardens, parks and streetscapes are becoming increasingly important to peoples’ experience of biological life, and have been the recent focus of research in ecology, invasion biology, human geography and sociology. However patterns of distribution have not previously been explored at a global scale. In this study, global patterns in the distribution of cultivated floras were explored to determine the significance of biophysical and social factors driving species distributions. The taxonomic similarity of 72 published species lists was examined, covering a wide geographic and climatic range and a variety of land uses. Cultivated floras across urban and rural settlements were found to be very different and unsurprisingly to be strongly filtered by temperature. However we found that human behaviour may overcome other physical drivers of plant distribution such as rainfall in some instances. Social factors were also found to be important. Having a different dominant language (a proxy for cultural background) and difference in GDP per person (a proxy for household income) were also related to the dissimilarity of cultivated floras. Differences in both the social and physical environment are related to floristic differences between cities. However, we recognise that other factors identified in the literature but unsuited to meta-analysis, may also influence the composition of cultivated landscapes. These include changes in policy relating to the provision of street and park vegetation, the availability of plants from nurseries and the preferences of influential gardeners and landscape designers. The significance of the relationship between temperature and species composition suggests that cultivated floras are likely to change in response to climate change. The high level of dissimilarity observed between settlements suggests that patterns of potential naturalisation of cultivated plants are likely to be more complex than currently accepted.

Natural grasslands are threatened globally. In south-eastern Australia, remnants of critically endangered natural grasslands are increasingly being isolated in urban areas. Urbanisation has led to reduced fire frequency and woody plant encroachment in some patches. Grasslands are currently being managed under the assumption that desirable management actions to address these threats (prescribed burning and removing woody vegetation) (1) lead to improved conservation outcomes and (2) are restricted by negative public attitudes. In this study, we tested these two assumptions in the context of native grassland conservation reserves in Melbourne, Australia. Firstly, we investigated differences in species and functional trait composition between patches that had been recently burnt, patches that were unburnt and patches subject to woody vegetation encroachment. We found that the functional traits of species converged in areas subject to woody plant encroachment and areas frequently disturbed by fire. Burning promoted native species, and patches of woody plants supressed the dominant grass, providing a wider range of habitat conditions. Secondly, we surveyed 477 residents living adjacent to these grassland conservation reserves to measure values, beliefs and attitudes and the acceptance of prescribed burning and removing woody vegetation. We found conflict in people’s attitudes to grasslands, with both strongly positive and strongly negative attitudes expressed. The majority of residents found prescribed burning an acceptable management practice (contrary to expectations) and removing trees and shrubs from grasslands to be unacceptable. Both cognitive factors (values and beliefs) and landscape features were important in influencing these opinions. This research provides some guidance for managing urban grassland reserves as a social–ecological system, showing that ecological management, community education and engagement and landscape design features can be integrated to influence social and ecological outcomes.

Wide community participation in ecological restoration projects is encouraged because of the multiple values generated. However, it is often assumed that volunteer projects cannot contribute to the production of generalizable ecological knowledge because they are locally focused and don’t follow scientific protocols or ecological theory. Anecdotally, the many successful volunteer projects suggest that some amateurs possess insight that could benefit restoration ecology generally, but the processes of generating, testing, and sharing local restoration knowledge remains poorly understood. This ethnographic study of the volunteer restorationist organization, Friends of Organ Pipes National Park, in Victoria, Australia, explores local ecological knowledge generation. Our results suggest that there are similarities between amateurs’ knowledge practices and traditional ecological knowledge such as extended apprenticeships, narratives, and the importance of experience of place. There are also similarities with practices of science, for example, semistructured planning, monitoring, evaluating, and documenting observations. We conclude that the ways amateurs generate, share, and test knowledge are complex and dynamic, producing a kind of hybrid between local and scientific knowledge.