Looking beyond superficial knowledge gaps: Understanding public representations of biological diversity

The lack of public support for and protest against biodiversity management measures have often been explained by the seemingly insufficient knowledge of biodiversity held by the general public. In stark contrast to these assumptions of public ignorance, our results of focus group discussions in the Netherlands, Germany and Scotland show that members of the general public use very rich and complex representations of biological diversity to argue for particular approaches to biodiversity management. Within these representations, we identified important components such as (i) the functions and benefits associated with biodiversity, (ii) attributes and values connected to nature and (iii) views on the relationships between humans and nature. Notions within these components varied across individuals and groups and were closely linked to their views on biodiversity management in general and specific management measures in particular. This study illustrates how a better understanding of these representations and their links to public attitudes is crucial to ensure effective communication on biodiversity and improve public support for biodiversity management.