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From influencing to engaging : the role of communication in protecting endangered species

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From influencing to engaging : the role of communication in protecting endangered species

Role of communication in protecting endangered species

This research aims to find out what is the role of communication in protecting endangered species. Case organization is WWF Nepal. Nepal was chosen to be in the focus of this research since the country has shown significant results when it comes to achieving conservation goals. Nepal has for example been able to celebrate zero rhino poaching years for four times. Additionally, rhino and tiger numbers are growing in the country. Thus, there must be something to learn from Nepal's conservation and this research is focusing on the communicative factors in the process. This research is abductive, and more based on data than theory. Data is formed from 20 qualitative interviews that were held in Nepal in February and March 2017. WWF professionals as well as representatives from the government, local communities, and media were included in the data to get as broad view from the researched phenomenon as possible. Interviews were analyzed by thematic analysis. This research focuses on communication broadly and seeks to find results without predetermined theories or hypotheses; all results are based on the thoughts of individuals interviewed and how they perceive the role of communication. Based on this study, the role of communication is seen as important; communication is everywhere and it affects everything. To be successful, conservation requires multi-stakeholder approach, which would be difficult to maintain without good cooperation and effective communication. What was highlighted as important communicative factors were raising awareness, changing behavior, engaging stakeholders, and lobbying. Based on the results of this study, communication has a diverse role in protecting endangered species, and it can be seen not only in the actions of communication professionals but also in the actions of other employees of the organization as well as within the stakeholders. The relationships between these actors are critical when it comes to successful conservation. Although the different factors that affect nature conservation have been exploited in previous research, their explicit communicative role has not yet broadly been explored. This research suggests that communication should be considered as a wider entity in further research, and a more detailed study of its comprehensive role would be important.

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