Conservation outreach through Storytelling

The world is changing rapidly and we are constantly faced with conservation challenges, in particular with the increasing threat of illegal wildlife trade. Policy, regulatory mechanisms and lack of law enforcement do not... [ view full abstract ]

The world is changing rapidly and we are constantly faced with conservation challenges, in particular with the increasing threat of illegal wildlife trade. Policy, regulatory mechanisms and lack of law enforcement do not result in cultural or behavioural shifts. Our disconnection to nature has provena barrier in reaching out to audiences. So how can we effect change in a conflicting world of balancing livelihoods, culture and conservation? How can we reach the masses to campaign for change? Storytelling.

The tradition of oral storytelling stretches back to humankind's earliest cultures. Conservation scientists are recognising the usefulness of narratives through which to effectively communicate their evidence (Leslie et al. 2013; Lawton & Rudd 2014) and there is a potential of narrative in science education and outreach (Avraamidou, L. & J. Osborne 2009).

I spoke at the International Congress of Conservation Biology at Cartagena, Colombia (July 2017) about the need for storytelling for community outreach and engagement, focusing on my experience and research in combatting illegal wildlife trade. Trade and trafficking is a leading threat to biodiversity conservation. Overexploitation of wildlife has a significant impact on species’ survival. Our insatiable desire to chase the next trend affects animals of all shapes and sizes. From owning exotic pets, to high-end fashion accessories to drinking the world’s most luxurious coffee, it all has a price we didn’t know existed. It’s time to shift our conservation mindsets and build a movement and tell real stories based on data and facts through different mediums such as narrative, documentaries and virtual reality and take audiences on a journey to reconnect to conservation issues such as wildlife trade.

Conservation storytelling brings difficult topical, conservation issues to light and makes them translatable and accessible to a global audience to raise awareness. Stories have the potential to captivate and entertain a global community, where they can play a significant role in making decisions. Science showed no promise of changing peoples’ attitudes and behaviors. Stories did that, and we used them to convince the world of the urgency of paying attention to the global loss of biodiversity (Redford et al, 2012).