Google searches inform real-world conservation

Background/Question/Methods

The Internet is a complex medium through which public interests are both reflected and reinforced. Internet search data have proven valuable for quantifying those interests, and are increasingly used as economic indicators, for predicting consumer behavior, and for “nowcasting” disease prevalence.  Rarely have search data been examined in the context of developing conservation strategy even though they have the potential to encapsulate human interests, curiosities, and empathies toward Nature. As a breakthrough technology, the Internet allows humans to explore information about the natural world without being constrained by many of its physical realities, including space and time. In other words, the Internet allows one to learn about Florida Scrub Jays while taking a break between ESA sessions in Sacramento, California. Given the potential mismatch between the scales of virtual and real-world exploration, we sought to characterize the degree to which searches for wildlife on the Internet correspond to their real-world distributions. We used mixed effects models to examine how interest in birds—as measured by Internet search activity—was shaped by geographic distributions of bird populations as well as human social and cultural activities.

Results/Conclusions

Internet searches for the common names of 68 resident bird species were positively associated with estimates of bird population densities across the United States. Additional social and cultural predictors that we expected to influence state-level interest in local bird species explained little geographic variation in search activity. For example, neither the prevalence of birders nor the prevalence of hunters in each state was positively associated with Internet searches for bird names. Despite increasing digital connectedness that enables boundless and borderless exploration of wildlife in the virtual world, we show that immediate experience with local species appears to shape search activity for those taxa on the Internet. Without undermining the importance of a broad-scale perspective, our study serves as a reminder of the importance of place in shaping human interests and curiosity. Humans remain attached to their specific geographies and the species in them. It is essential that conservation organizations acknowledge this fact as research paradigms take on an increasingly global perspective.