Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Theresa Henke (1), Ana Novoa (2), Hlynur Bárðarson (3), Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. University of Iceland, Iceland; 2. Department of Invasion Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic; 3. Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Iceland
Kynnir / Presenter: Theresa Henke
The role of scientific communication, outreach and stakeholder engagement has been gaining increased recognition across a wide range of scientific fields. These aspects are particular important in the field of invasion science. For example, engaging stakeholders in the design of invasive species management actions can avoid or reduce conflicts of interest, and planned outreach and communication activities can encourage people to support and participate in management activities. Using alien P. flesus in Iceland as a case study, we explored the linkage between communication activities and stakeholders’ perception and public interest towards this species. In 2019, an online survey among the recreational fishing sector detected a highly negative perception towards P. flesus. Starting in 2019, dedicated outreach activities about the ongoing research on P. flesus were started, covering different media sources such as newspapers, social media and national TV. A follow-up survey in 2023 recorded a significant change in perceptions, indicating a potential impact of these opportunistic outreach. Furthermore, we explored links between peaks in public interest (using data retrieved from Google Trends and Wikipedia pageviews as proxies), and press coverage and outreach activities regarding P. flesus in Icelandic waters over the past two decades. Our results will benefit the design of future communication and outreach strategies by considering the identified triggers of public interest.