Natural Places & Digital Spaces: Challenges and Opportunities for Instagram in Biodiversity Conservation

Science communication through social media is an area of research that has gained much international interest. Yet there lacks robust information of environmental education on Instagram specifically, as well as its relationship to the fields of conservation biology and conservation management, which is where this research is most meaningful. This paper explores the proliferation of the social media platform, Instagram, into the field of conservation science by examining the opportunities and challenges in three case studies. Chapter 1 investigates how Instagram has influenced protected areas and protected area management. Primary data is offered to demonstrate the influence that parks have over its visitors along with an outline of the current and future state of its use by parks. Chapter 2 uses empirical and observational data to analyze the perspectives of 18 Science Communicators on the emergence of scientific engagement on Instagram. Concentrating on its impacts for wildlife biology and conservation, guidelines for ethical and effective science communication are offered. Chapter 3 assesses the usability and reception of Instagram as a tool for environmental education based on experimentation, analysis and survey results. The dichotomy between humans and nature caused by technology (Kesebir and Kesebir, 2017) is challenged in this case study, through disseminating engaging environmental information on Instagram. The 2018 IPCC special report revealed that the next 11 years are most crucial in maintaining global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees (IPCC, 2018) which requires implementing drastic changes to all levels of society. To address this need, this research will identify new opportunities and challenges for conservation biology from bringing environmental awareness and education to Instagram.