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chapter 20 The Media and Biodiversity Conservation Gilda Aburto For hundreds of years, humans have been in constant battle over natural resources, some for their exploitation and others for their protection and preservation for the future. One of the first people in North America—if not the first—to raise their voice in favor of defending wildlife territories was the legendary John Muir (Tolan 1990), known as the “Father of the National Parks.” For years he traveled through the impressive valleys and mountains of the United States, the forests and glaciers of Alaska, identifying species and marveling at the natural beauty of these wildlands. He also observed how these territories were being threatened by the growing population that was rapidly expanding westward, tearing down forests to establish settlements and raise livestock. A passionate lover of nature, Muir found that it was not enough to be a passive scholar of nature , classifying species of plants and trees that were rapidly being lost to the logging industry, sheep ranchers, and the accelerated population growththatdemandedmoreandmoreresources. In his attempt to protect these wildlands, Muir also found that there was a tremendous difference between delivering a seminar to a few people and publishing an article in a journal. Published articles could transmit the impressive beauty of these wildlife areas, the forests that he called the “temples of God,” to a much wider audience.Itwashispassionatearticles,published in newspapers and magazines, that transported the urban populations to these wild areas, where they would admire them so much that they were moved to protect them. Biologist Rachel Carson strengthened the environmentalist movement with the publication of her book Silent Spring (1962), in which she warned of the dangers of agricultural chemicals. She was especially concerned with the “miraculous insecticide” DDT, which was gravely contaminating the environment, killing wildlife, and poisoning humans. Once again it was the use of a major media resource that alerted the public 257 and raised the voices of protest; until then people had been unaware of the dangers to which they were being exposed. The struggle continues today. Whereas yesterday pen and paper were sufficient to battle the ax, today chainsaws and tractors have given an advantage to the destroyers. Entire forests fall overnight—before we can even begin to call attention to problems (Soulé 1986; Noss and Cooperrider 1994). Enormous stretches of tropical rain forest disappear before we can discover what animal and plant species they held. It is continuously more difficult for scientists to obtain funding for investigations into diverse natural habitats, yet large transnational corporations easily acquire logging and mining concessions , with outrageous economic advantages, in the impoverished countries of Latin America. Biologists alone cannot stop this destruction. They need the general public to donate money necessary to carry out conservation projects, to write letters to politicians, and to join the voices of protest against the imminent danger to nature . Thus, although the problems involve biological themes, it is the people who not only often create these problems but who also hold the solution in their hands. Only through communication can biologists transmit their muchneeded knowledge to the public, empowering it to act. Scientists have an ally that can help them reach those who will make crucial decisions for the environment. That ally is the media. By means of radio and television, information can literally circle the globe and reach millions in a very short time. This chapter explores a set of guidelines for establishing effective communication between biologists and the media for raising environmental awareness of the general populace. The guidelines are based on cumulative experiences of journalists working with biologists in Costa Rica and elsewhere in Central America. Help from the public in creating an effective conservation campaign is absolutely essential, as campaigns initiated by an isolated biologist will have slim chances of success. It is difficult, if not impossible, to visit the numerous government offices, lawmakers, politicians, citizen associations , and international entities required to effect policy, initiate campaigns, or raise funds for environmentally oriented projects. Such a dedicated biologist would have to forgo much of his or her research to pursue this path of action because large amounts of time and economic resources would have to be invested. Moreover, positive results would rarely be obtained. This path is too slow for our quickly changing world. It often happens that, by the time the goal is reached, the threats to the environment on which the campaign was based are already resolved. Biologists who have traveled...

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