The language we use to describe wildlife and wild places matters. It shapes how we understand wildlife, our relationship to wildlife, and our sense of responsibility to conserve threatened places. Yet the words we most often use — “environment,” “habitat,” and even “nature” — may act as barriers to public support for conservation efforts, in part because they increase the perceived distance and difference between humans and wildlife. Changing such perceptions by replacing the above terms with the deeply relatable and human concept of “home” may be one path towards greater public support for conservation of wild places. Or, are traditional terms still more effective?

Seeking graduate school opportunities? Consider the Trent School of the Environment and get involved in this research. Please contact National Geographic Explorer Neil Ever Osborne at neilosborne@trentu.ca for more details.