title: Experiencing biodiversity as a bridge over the science-society communication gap.
abstract: Drawing on the idea that biodiversity is simply the diversity of living things, and that everyone knows what diversity and living things mean, most conservation professionals eschew the need to explain the many complex ways in which biodiversity is understood in science. On many biodiversity-related issues, this lack of clarity leads to a communication gap between science and the general public, including decision makers who must design and implement biodiversity policies. Closing this communication gap is pivotal to the ability of science to inform sound environmental decision making. To address this communication gap, we propose a surrogate of biodiversity for communication purposes that captures the scientific definition of biodiversity yet can be understood by nonscientists; that is, biodiversity as a learning experience. The prerequisites of this or any other biodiversity communication surrogate are that it should have transdisciplinary relevance; not be measurable; be accessible to a wide audience; be usable to translate biodiversity issues; and understandably encompass biodiversity concepts. Biodiversity as a learning experience satisfies these prerequisites and is philosophically robust. More importantly, it can effectively contribute to closing the communication gap between biodiversity science and society at large.
authors.affiliation: Gereco, Espace Saint-Germain Bâtiment le Saxo, 30 avenue du Général Leclerc, 38217 Vienne Cedex, France; Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Zürich, S-8057, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meinard
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quétier
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D003142:Communication; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003657:Decision Making; D007858:Learning
keywords: Aprendizaje cognitivo; biodiversity surrogates; ciencia interdisciplinaria; cognitive learning experience; comunicación de la ciencia; enseñanza de la ciencia; experiencia; interdisciplinary science; interfaz de la política de la ciencia; science communication; science policy interface; science teaching; sustituto de biodiversidad