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Convergence of stakeholders’ environmental threat perceptions following mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef
Author(s) -
Thiault Lauric,
Curnock Matthew I.,
Gurney Georgina G.,
Heron Scott F.,
Marshall Nadine A.,
Bohensky Erin,
Nakamura Nao,
Pert Petina L.,
Claudet Joachim
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/cobi.13591
Subject(s) - stakeholder , great barrier reef , geography , coral bleaching , coral reef , tourism , perception , climate change , prioritization , convergence (economics) , environmental resource management , environmental planning , environmental change , marine ecosystem , wildlife , ecosystem , business , ecology , political science , environmental science , psychology , public relations , biology , process management , archaeology , neuroscience , economic growth , economics
Managing human use of ecosystems in an era of rapid environmental change requires an understanding of diverse stakeholders’ behaviors and perceptions to enable effective prioritization of actions to mitigate multiple threats. Specifically, research examining how threat perceptions are shared or diverge among stakeholder groups and how these can evolve through time is increasingly important. We investigated environmental threat perceptions related to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and explored their associations before and after consecutive years of mass coral bleaching. We used data from surveys of commercial fishers, tourism operators, and coastal residents (n = 5254) conducted in 2013 and 2017. Threats perceived as most serious differed substantially among groups before bleaching but were strongly aligned after bleaching. Climate change became the most frequently reported threat by all stakeholder groups following the coral bleaching events, and perceptions of fishing and poor water quality as threats also ranked high. Within each of the 3 stakeholder groups, fishers, tourism operators, and coastal residents, the prioritization of these 3 threats tended to diverge in 2013, but convergence occurred after bleaching. These results indicate an emergence of areas of agreement both within and across stakeholder groups. Changes in perceptions were likely influenced by high‐profile environmental‐disturbance events and media representations of threats. Our results provide insights into the plasticity of environmental‐threat perceptions and highlight how their convergence in response to major events may create new opportunities for strategic public engagement and increasing support for management.