Improving attitudes towards adders (Vipera berus) and nature connectedness in primary‐age group children

• Published in: People and nature (Hoboken, N.J.) Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 1908 - 1921
• Main Authors: Kelly, Sam J., Kelly, John S., Gardner, Emma, Baker, John, Monk, Chris, Julian, Angela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-12-2023; Wiley
• Subjects: adder; art–science collaboration; Attitude change; Attitudes; Children; community engagement; Conservation; Environmental education; Fear & phobias; Habitats; Intervention; Livestock; Local communities; nature connectedness; Public participation; Questionnaires; Reptiles & amphibians; Schools; Science education; Snakes; Species; Venomous snakes; Vipera berus; Wildlife conservation; Workshops; United Kingdom > UK; Wales
• ISSN: 2575-8314; 2575-8314
• DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10545

Adder ( Vipera berus ) populations are experiencing declines in many countries, including the United Kingdom. Perceptions of adders and other venomous snakes are generally negative, making conservation of these species a challenge, and persecution remains within the top five perceived causes for adder declines in the United Kingdom. Improved understanding and attitudes are needed to support current conservation efforts. However, ensuring these positive attitudes continue into the future relies on addressing children's loss of connection to nature, and intervention at this early attitude‐formation stage can be crucial for traditionally ‘unpopular’ species, such as snakes.
An adder‐focussed public engagement project, Adders are Amazing !, was carried out in Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom, in 2018–19 to improve understanding and attitudes towards adders using a blended science‐creative arts approach. The project included half‐day primary school‐based workshops to inform 111 pupils aged 8–11 about adder ecology, alongside creative art experiences. Questionnaires were used to measure the children's attitudes towards adders and their nature connectedness both before and after the workshops and these were compared with equivalent questionnaires carried out at a control school (57 pupils) where no workshops were conducted.
The project demonstrated that engagement that blends both art and science can significantly change attitudes towards adders without any direct contact with the animals themselves; specifically, participants' scores for ‘Wonder’, ‘Learning Interest’ and ‘Conservation Concern’ increased. The workshops also significantly increased measures of the children's general connectedness to nature (specifically, ‘Enjoyment of Nature’ and ‘Responsibility for Nature’).
We recommend conservation bodies focus on, and not shy away from, so‐called ‘unpopular’ species, to promote understanding and acceptance of these species and support their conservation. Blended arts–science initiatives, which can be easily adapted to suit a wide range of species and the artistic practices of local communities, are an effective way to achieve this.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Crynodeb
Mae poblogaethau'r wiber ( Vipera berus ) yn gweld dirywiad mewn nifer o wledydd, gan gynnwys y Deyrnas Unedig. Yn gyffredinol, mae canfyddiad pobl o wiberod, a nadroedd gwenwynig eraill, yn negyddol. Oherwydd hynny, mae gwarchod y rhywogaethau hyn yn heriol a deellir bod erledigaeth yn dal i fod ymhlith y pum achos pennaf dros ddirywiad gwiberod yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Rhaid gwella dealltwriaeth ac agweddau er mwyn cefnogi'r ymdrechion sydd ar waith i'w gwarchod ar hyn o bryd. Fodd bynnag, mae pobl ifanc wedi colli cysylltiad â natur a rhaid rhoi sylw i'r sefyllfa hon os ydym am sicrhau bod yr agweddau cadarnhaol hyn yn parhau yn y dyfodol. Gall ymyrryd ar y cam cynnar hwn, pan fydd pobl ifanc yn ffurfio'u hagweddau, fod yn hanfodol i rywogaethau sy'n ‘amhoblogaidd’ yn draddodiadol, er enghraifft nadroedd.
Cyflwynwyd Gwiberod Gwych!, sef prosiect ymgysylltu â'r cyhoedd â ffocws ar wiberod, yn Sir Benfro yn y Deyrnas Unedig, yn 2018–19. Y nod oedd gwella dealltwriaeth ac agweddau at wiberod, trwy ddull cyfunol a ddefnyddiai wyddoniaeth a'r celfyddydau creadigol. Yn rhan o'r prosiect cyflwynwyd gweithdai hanner‐diwrnod mewn ysgolion cynradd er mwyn goleuo 111 o ddisgyblion rhwng 8 ac 11 oed ynghylch ecoleg gwiberod, ochr yn ochr â phrofiadau o'r celfyddydau creadigol. Defnyddiwyd holiaduron i fesur agweddau'r plant tuag at wiberod, a'u cysylltiad â byd natur, cyn y gweithdai ac ar eu hôl a chymharwyd y rhain â holiaduron cywerth mewn ysgol a ddefnyddiwyd fel rheolydd (57 o ddisgyblion) lle na chynhaliwyd unrhyw weithdai.
Dangosodd y prosiect fod ymgysylltu sy'n cyfuno celf a gwyddoniaeth yn gallu newid agweddau tuag at wiberod yn sylweddol, heb unrhyw gyswllt uniongyrchol â'r anifeiliaid eu hunain; yn benodol, sgoriwyd ‘Rhyfeddol’, ‘Diddordeb Dysgu’ a ‘Pryder Cadwraeth’ yn uwch. Llwyddodd y gweithdai hefyd i gynyddu cysylltiad plant â byd natur yn gyffredinol, a hynny'n sylweddol (yn benodol, ‘Mwynhau Natur’ a ‘Cyfrifoldeb dros Natur’).
Argymhellwn fod cyrff cadwraeth yn canolbwyntio ar rywogaethau ‘amhoblogaidd’ ac yn peidio ag ofni eu trafod, er mwyn hyrwyddo dealltwriaeth am y rhywogaethau hyn, cael pobl i'w derbyn a chefnogi eu cadwraeth. Mae mentrau sy'n cyfuno'r celfyddydau a gwyddoniaeth, y gellir eu haddasu'n hawdd at ystod eang o rywogaethau ac arferion artistig cymunedau lleol, yn ffordd effeithiol o gyflawni hyn.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.