Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions Towards Dolphins and Dolphin Conservation ...
In 2015, an online survey was conducted to investigate public attitudes toward key cetacean (whale, dolphin, and porpoise) conservation and 'hot topic' issues such as legislative protection, whaling, and captivity (n=858). Importance of the use of social media by scientists and conservatio...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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George Mason University
2015
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.13021/mars/7345 https://mars.gmu.edu/handle/1920/10249 |
| Summary: | In 2015, an online survey was conducted to investigate public attitudes toward key cetacean (whale, dolphin, and porpoise) conservation and 'hot topic' issues such as legislative protection, whaling, and captivity (n=858). Importance of the use of social media by scientists and conservationists and its accuracy was also addressed. When given a list of whale and dolphin species, 24.01% participants thought the blue whale was the most endangered, 22.14% thought it was the humpback whale, and 23.43% stated the killer whale. Additionally, participants were also asked which species listed was the most important to conserve: 39.74% indicating the bottlenose dolphin was the most important. Only 6.29% highlighted the most endangered cetacean (the Vaquita or Gulf of California harbor porpoise) and 5.01% noted the endangered North Atlantic right whale. More members of the public highlighted non-existent (fake) species as being of conservation concern than certain species of genuine concern (e.g. Pygmy short-fined ... |
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