Public awareness of extinction threats in European threatened species

Abstract

The level of societal awareness of and interest in major threats facing endangered species is a critical determining factor for public support for conservation initiatives and programs, which might in turn impact conservation funding, effectiveness, and policy. Based on a quantitative analysis of internet webpages, we assessed the internet salience of climate change and invasive species as key threats to threatened amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species in France, Germany and United Kingdom. The analysis indicated a higher prominence of climate change, as well as a higher prominence of the two threats in native species than in species that are inhabiting other countries and regions. The two threats received better recognition in threatened than in non-threatened species, while the patterns also differed among the four species groups and the three countries. Internet salience generally matched the established susceptibility of species to the two threats, as identified by species experts within the IUCN Red List. We discuss major implications of the results and policy recommendations.