Herpetologists' Conservation Research Focus Drives Their Intentions to Participate in Future Public Engagement

Abstract

Public Engagement with Science (PES) is a popular topic in the science community due to general concerns about public support for science, attitudes toward science, and changes in scientific funding requirements. PES may be especially relevant in conservation disciplines as the public plays an important role in conservation practice. Herpetofauna specifically stand to benefit, as PES activities can help improve attitudes and conservation behavior of participants toward uncharismatic species. We assessed the current scope of herpetologists PES activities and investigated factors associated with their participation in PES. We used a closed-ended question survey distributed via the listservs of four American herpetological organizations. Herpetologists intentions to engage at least 10 hours in the next 12 months significantly differed between herpetologists with high and low conservation research focuses, but hours of engagement in the past 12 months was not significantly different among these groups. Despite most responding herpetologists having limited formal training, time, resources, and institutional support, many participated in a variety of PES activities, often utilizing partnerships and their own resources. Sampled herpetologists rarely evaluated their PES activities or considered publishing about their engagement activities. Some respondents expressed unease with the idea of message framing. Respondents were interested in evaluation training and providing accessible opportunities, and grant funds were the most likely interventions to increase herpetologists participation in PES. These results provide reference data and insight into the public engagement practices and needs of practicing herpetologists and conservation scientists. Author statementWe informed participants of their rights and protections as approved by University of Florida IRB201800258. None of the authors have conflicts of interest related to this research. Funding for the research was provided by a Roger Conant Grant from the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR). SSAR had no role in interpretation of data, the writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article for publication.