Abstract:
Billions of animal lives are lost annually to the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), and despite efforts to raise awareness of IWT worldwide, the problem still persists. As with any issue, changing individuals’ attitudes and behavior towards IWT requires a careful understanding of the audience’s existing knowledge. Without knowing how the audience perceives IWT, any endeavors to combat it might fail. Additionally, among the various groups that may influence IWT, tourists represent an important yet understudied audience. Through travel-related consumption, they can (un)intentionally contribute to IWT; however, their perceived role in this issue remains largely unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of how the public perceives IWT and what they know about this issue. This study draws on the environmental awareness framework. It focuses on the public’s general understanding of IWT dynamics and the role tourists play in them. Photo elicitation and interviews were used to collect data from visitors to Nature events in the US, which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Participants showed awareness of charismatic, highly traded species but overlooked less visible taxa, certain wildlife uses, and the United States’ role in IWT. They emphasized legal and knowledge-based solutions while placing primary responsibility on governments and NGOs. They largely perceived tourists’ involvement in IWT as unintentional. The findings highlight gaps in public knowledge and inform more targeted educational messaging, with implications for awareness campaigns. Future studies can further examine each of these knowledge gaps to guide conservation efforts.
Bio:
Faranak is a PhD candidate at the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University, specializing in tourism. Her work is informed by close collaboration with wildlife rangers and hands-on volunteer fieldwork, which has shaped her focus on wildlife conservation, particularly the illegal wildlife trade. She aims to raise awareness of this critical global issue and highlight the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved. Her work primarily examines tourists as key actors in the illegal wildlife trade through exploring their perceptions and understandings of this issue. She also seeks to shed light on how a lack of awareness, particularly among wealthier communities, can unintentionally drive demand and perpetuate illegal wildlife activities.
