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A characterization of media representation of biodiversity and implications for public perceptions and environmental policy: the case of Québec, Canada

Author

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  • Nicolas D. Brunet

    (University of Guelph)

  • Danielle Dagenais

    (University of Montreal)

  • Sandra Breux

    (Institut National de Recherche Scientifique)

  • I. Tanya Handa

    (Université du Québec à Montréal)

Abstract

The term biodiversity is widely used by scientists, international policy makers and the general public. Its representation in mass media plays a key role in shaping public perceptions of biodiversity and informing the public about scientific developments with implications for ecosystem conservation and management. Our exploratory case study of major newspapers in the province of Québec, Canada, characterized the representation of biodiversity in the media from 2006 to 2012 in 567 articles. We showed that biodiversity was not explicitly defined in the media, yet consistently associated with positive outcomes, views and beliefs. The term was used as a catch-all argument frequently supporting proponent and opponent views regarding an issue or project. Overall, the definitions, uses and values associated with biodiversity did not change significantly over the study period, except for a small increase of the term in news media during the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity compared to the average. There was, however, evidence of a shift towards ecosystem services associated with the concept following 2010. As such, potential linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem services reflected in the scientific literature seem to be reflected in media discourse. We discuss these trends and contrast them with the representation of other core environmental issues such as climate change and sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolas D. Brunet & Danielle Dagenais & Sandra Breux & I. Tanya Handa, 2020. "A characterization of media representation of biodiversity and implications for public perceptions and environmental policy: the case of Québec, Canada," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 1655-1669, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:22:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10668-018-0244-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-018-0244-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gómez-Baggethun, Erik & de Groot, Rudolf & Lomas, Pedro L. & Montes, Carlos, 2010. "The history of ecosystem services in economic theory and practice: From early notions to markets and payment schemes," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 1209-1218, April.
    2. Edwin Zaccai & William Adams, 2012. "How far are biodiversity loss and climate change similar as policy issues?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 557-571, August.
    3. Federico Pasquaré Mariotto & Corrado Venturini, 2017. "2014, The “year without a summer” in Italy: news media coverage and implications for the climate change debate," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1367-1380, August.
    4. Andy Purvis & Andy Hector, 2000. "Getting the measure of biodiversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 405(6783), pages 212-219, May.
    5. Therese Asplund & Mattias Hjerpe & Victoria Wibeck, 2013. "Framings and coverage of climate change in Swedish specialized farming magazines," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 117(1), pages 197-209, March.
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    1. Hamid Nach, 2025. "An Analysis of the news coverage of Fintech in Africa: a natural language processing approach," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 839-877, April.

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