Program on the Environment

Science-related content has been infiltrating social media platforms for years. However, the larger science community still struggles to create effective and accessible content that highlights endangered and threatened species. Because of the barriers facing science communication efforts, observing and obtaining metrics of engagement on government platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is important. This study focused on showcasing to an audience, key issues and events related to endangered and threatened species. To understand the factors of engagement that are necessary for creating effective science communication, this study was conducted in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries West Coast and their platforms in order to curate new scripts for their social media that are specific to the California Central Valley region. Although the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and the threatened green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) are not seen as flagship species because they are typically not the face of conservation or funding efforts based on the public attitude, posts were found to still return high engagement. Further research showed that scientists communicating with the public needed more resources, like workshops and allotted time to practice outreach specifically designed for social media. Overall, results implicated that there is a desire for less popular species to be emphasized on social media. The results also emphasized the importance of addressing barriers to effective communication strategies such as providing more resources and support for scientists and experts with their public outreach efforts.