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Conservation Is Not in Remote Wilderness But in Everyday Life
2021 Insights into Young People's Actions for the Conservation of Biodiversity Presenting Younger Generation's Perceptions and Understa

2021-08-24

China Environment News

　　◆Wang Linlin

　　Speaking of biodiversity, I believe many young people are familiar with this term. However, why do we care about biodiversity? How does biodiversity relate to us? How do we take multiple actions to protect biodiversity? These big and complex questions stumped many young people.

　　Recently, L'Oreal China and a benefit corporation BottleDream together released the 2021 Insights into Young People's Actions for the Conservation of Biodiversity research report. It combined with 2021 questionnaire surveys, numerous desk studies, offline seminars, interviews with opinion leaders in the related fields and other research methods to collate and analyze the current young people's perceptions and attitudes towards biological diversity, sort the status quo of the relationship between young people and biological diversity, and further explore the ways to increase young people's attention, understandings and actions on this topic.

　　Yang Yanqing, the chief research officer of BottleDream's Sustainable Living Laboratory, told the reporter that the focus of this study is on how to establish the connection between young people and biodiversity conservation and involve more young people in the actions of biodiversity conservation.

　　Is it far? It's familiar and unfamiliar. We have heard of it, but we don't know much about it

　　To complete this study, teams of L'Oreal China and BottleDream went through repeated discussions and determined the specific ideas for conducting the study: Firstly, to understand the general young people's understanding level of biodiversity at present, and where do they perceive a connection with biodiversity? Secondly, to sort what types of actions that young people have taken around biodiversity conservation? What are the driving forces behind these actions? Thirdly, to explore what are the transferring elements making more young people pay attention and involve in the actions of biodiversity conservation?

　　Speaking of biodiversity, what will come to the mind of young people? In order to find the answers, the survey collected general young people's intuitive associated keywords about biodiversity and found that the majority of people coming up with words such as "species", "diversity", "animal and plant", "environmental protection", etc. After analyzing these words, the survey further found that young people are still directly related to biodiversity, and from their point of view, the issues of biodiversity are mainly environment-related issues, and they focus more on the conservation of endangered wildlife.

　　For the ecology term biodiversity, the survey revealed that although many young people have heard of this concept, they have a limited understanding of it.

　　"Does biodiversity refer to the number of species?" "If we want to conserve biodiversity, can we kill mosquitoes?" "Should we rescue stray cats?"...... These bewildered questions demonstrated that young people's understandings of biodiversity are mainly based on the literal meaning, but they do not know the concrete meaning of biodiversity conservation.

　　According to information, the coverage of this survey is relatively extensive to complete a more effective and comprehensive study. In terms of age, the survey covers ages 18 to 40, including students and working people; In terms of gender, the male-to-female ratio is close; In terms of the understandings and participation in biodiversity topic, including "passers-by" who do not actively pay attention to this topic, sideliners who are interested in biodiversity conservation and activist who have taken protective actions, etc.

　　Is it close? It is mingled and penetrated life in all aspects

　　But is biodiversity really far away from young people?

　　When the survey entered into the life-situation of young people's interactions with different species and ecological environment, it found that in the scenarios such as municipal environment, natural science hobby, natural content consumption, public health, natural science hobby, leisure tourism and entertainment and daily consumption, young people have strong perceptions of biodiversity - they will notice the existential state of different species and their ecological environment, they will also think about the connection between mankind and nature.

　　The questionnaire survey indicated that under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people canceled some plans of long journeys, instead, they paid attention to the surrounding nature. When will the flowers downstairs in the community bloom? How many kinds of chirps are there in the morning? What are the names of the plants in the parks?...... Young people have started to discover, feel and understand the urban space they live in and established further connections with nature.

　　The pandemic has also made young people see the issues brought by indiscriminate killing and eating wild animals, realize the complexity of ecosystems, and gain better understandings of refusal to eat exotic animals and wild animals conservation.

　　Many young people have also started to recommend a "natural science hobby" lifestyle, such as watching birds, viewing flowers, growing vegetables, collecting specimens, etc. They try to explore the vastness of nature and use the wealth of knowledge to improve the joy of life. This is something very "cool" for young people.

　　The survey indicated that over 50% of the young people reflected they know less than 50 species, and 43.7% wanted to learn about more species.

　　Close to nature, community values arouse actions

　　The conservation of biodiversity has important potential values in economic, ecological, scientific and cultural aspects. However, for youth at present, the most important impetus that drives them to care and protect biodiversity is due to the desire to recontact with nature after the pandemic, the sense of friendliness to nature, and the value that viewing mankind and other species as a community that sharing a common future.

　　"I don't want them to disappear like this." "Our daily life may not be affected, but I feel that friends who live on the same planet with us cannot survive anymore." "Each species has its meaning of existing." In the questionnaire survey, young people intensively demonstrated "regret", "heartache" and "sadness" about the mass extinction of wild animal populations.

　　All sorts of actions that destroying biodiversity are urging young people to care and protect biodiversity and take positive action.

　　The survey found that many young people consciously choosing activities that do not harm other species or helping to restore and protect the ecology when carrying on leisure and entertainment activities in the natural environment. For example, they do not watch wild-animal shows when touring, pick up litter when climbing mountains, and do not harm marine benthos when diving.

　　Some young people chose to participate in natural education activities to learn about the relevant content of nature conservation, and others went to habitats of different species to take part in conservation actions.

　　As research parties, L'Oreal China and BottleDream also interviewed young people engaging in different levels and different types of biodiversity conservation actions. The stories of these young people are presented in the report and vividly named Super Guardian, Natural Science Observer, Citizen Scientists, Ecological Friendly Consumer, Urban Tao Yuanming, and Modern Xu Xiake.

　　The research parties hope to present how biodiversity is integrated into multiple lifestyles, and provide a reference for promoting more young people to understand and participate in biodiversity conservation actions.

　　After this survey research, Yang Yanqing had some profound perceptions, "Biodiversity conservation is not in the remote wilderness but the daily life of young people. They can participate in biodiversity conservation actions in multiple ways. And these actions themselves will also endow more joy and meaning to young people's lives."

　　Chen Jiaqi, manager of Corporate Affairs and Public Linkage Department of L'Oreal China said, "With such insights, enterprises and social forces can participate more well-directed to support them and promote biodiversity conservation together."

　　In the end, the report presents 3 lists, including a list of simple and practicable daily actions, a list of biodiversity-related documentaries, and a list of professional organizations working on biodiversity conservation. It is hoped that these inspirations can help young people to start an amazing journey of biodiversity conservation from here.