Invasive forest pathogens in Europe: Cross-country variation in public awareness but consistency in policy acceptability

Political action can reduce introductions of diseases caused by invasive forest pathogens (IPs) and public support is important for effective prevention. The public’s awareness of IP problems and the acceptability of policies aiming to combat these pathogens were surveyed in nine European countries...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2019-01, Vol.48 (1), p.1-12
Main Authors: Eriksson, Louise, Boberg, Johanna, Cech, Thomas L., Corcobado, Tamara, Desprez-Loustau, Marie-Laure, Hietala, Ari M., Jung, Marília Horta, Jung, Thomas, Lehtijarvi, Hatice Tuğba Doğmuş, Oskay, Funda, Slavov, Slavtcho, Solheim, Halvor, Stenlid, Jan, Oliva, Jonás
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceptability
Anthropogenic factors
Atmospheric Sciences
Dieback
Disease
Diseases
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental Management
Forest Science
Forests
Human Geography
Kulturgeografi
Life Sciences
Mass media
Pathogens
Physical Geography
Plant production
Plant protection
Policies
Political action
Politics
Protected areas
Public access
Public awareness
Public opinion
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Skogsvetenskap
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Summary:Political action can reduce introductions of diseases caused by invasive forest pathogens (IPs) and public support is important for effective prevention. The public’s awareness of IP problems and the acceptability of policies aiming to combat these pathogens were surveyed in nine European countries (N = 3469). Although awareness of specific diseases (e.g., ash dieback) varied, problem awareness and policy acceptability were similar across countries. The public was positive towards policies for informational measures and stricter standards for plant production, but less positive towards restricting public access to protected areas. Multilevel models, including individual and country level variables, revealed that media exposure was positively associated with awareness of IP problems, and strengthened the link between problem awareness and policy acceptability. Results suggest that learning about IPs through the media and recognizing the associated problems increase policy acceptability. Overall, the study elaborates on the anthropogenic dimension of diseases caused by IPs.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-018-1046-7