Biophilia in young generations: a pilot study in mountain primary schools [Biophilie dans les jeunes générations: une étude pilote dans les écoles primaires de montagne].

Résumé

Species and habitat conservation need to gather attention from multilevel instances: administrative and political, scientific, mass-mediatic and, last but not least, common people. Motivations sensitizing common people to move in order to protect some species or habitat are multidimensional, and only partially explained by media activity. A most important aspect might be biophilia, that is itself a concept to be understood and tested (Wilson 1993, Kahn 2001). Here we present two experiments aimed at better understanding the concept of biophilia using marmots as a model. First experiments was performed with university students and aimed at comparing differential attractiveness of insect and vertebrate species, including marmots as regards as their potential in attract interest from the public and willingness to spend money in order to support conservation. Second experiment was carried in primary schools located in a mountain area and aimed at understanding both the cognitive and affective relationships that children have with marmots. Results are discusses in term of the effectiveness of the marmot genus to be an umbrella species, and in term of the possibility of extending those techniques across different countries and cultures in order to understand the effect of cultural environment as regards as the real existence of biophilia. References Kahn P.H., The human relationship with nature: development and culture, MIT Press, 2001; Wilson E.O., Biophilia and conservation ethic, in Kellert S.R., Wilson E.O., The biophilia hypothesis, Island Press, Washington D.C., 1993,pp. 31-41.