4 pages., via online journal., Given the urgent need to raise public awareness on biodiversity issues, we review the effectiveness of “ecosystem services” as a frame for promoting biodiversity conservation. Since its inception as a communications tool in the 1970s, the concept of ecosystem services has become pervasive in biodiversity policy. While the goal of securing ecosystem services is absolutely legitimate, we argue that it has had limited success as a vehicle for securing public interest and support for nature, which is crucial to securing long-term social mandates for protection. Emerging evidence suggests that focusing on ecosystem services rather than the intrinsic value of nature is unlikely to be effective in bolstering public support for nature conservation. Theory to guide effective communication about nature is urgently needed. In the mean-time, communicators should reflect on their objectives and intended audience and revisit the way nature is framed to ensure maximum resonance.
16 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, Using fieldwork and in-depth-interviews with key informants, researchers examined how two groups (landowner group and citizen group) framed their arguments involving proposed sale of water from this aquifer. The citizen group was found more articulate in opposing the sale of water to the broader public. Findings also suggested that the framing strategies used by both groups served to escalate community dissension and therefore limit opportunities for resolution.
This article explores the role of traditional objectivity in newspaper coverage of the nomination in Alaska of a socialist commissioner of environmental conservation and the subsequent "framing" of public discussion.
