1. The role of non-English-language science in informing national biodiversity assessments
- Author
-
Amano, T., Berdejo-Espinola, V., Akasaka, M., de Andrade Junior, M.A.U., Blaise, N., Checco, J., Çilingir, F.G., Citegetse, G., Tor, M.C., Drobniak, S.M., Giakoumi, S., Golivets, Maryna, Ion, M.C., Jara-Díaz, J.P., Katayose, R., Lasmana, F.P.S., Lin, H.-Y., Lopez, E., Mikula, P., Morales-Barquero, L., Mupepele, A.-C., Narváez-Gómez, J.P., Nguyen, T.H., Nogueira Lisboa, S., Nuñez, M.A., Pavón-Jordán, D., Pottier, P., Prescott, G.W., Samad, F., Šćiban, M., Seo, H.-M., Shinoda, Y., Vajna, F., Vozykova, S., Walsh, J.C., Wee, A.K.S., Xiao, H., Zamora-Gutierrez, V., Amano, T., Berdejo-Espinola, V., Akasaka, M., de Andrade Junior, M.A.U., Blaise, N., Checco, J., Çilingir, F.G., Citegetse, G., Tor, M.C., Drobniak, S.M., Giakoumi, S., Golivets, Maryna, Ion, M.C., Jara-Díaz, J.P., Katayose, R., Lasmana, F.P.S., Lin, H.-Y., Lopez, E., Mikula, P., Morales-Barquero, L., Mupepele, A.-C., Narváez-Gómez, J.P., Nguyen, T.H., Nogueira Lisboa, S., Nuñez, M.A., Pavón-Jordán, D., Pottier, P., Prescott, G.W., Samad, F., Šćiban, M., Seo, H.-M., Shinoda, Y., Vajna, F., Vozykova, S., Walsh, J.C., Wee, A.K.S., Xiao, H., and Zamora-Gutierrez, V.
- Abstract
Consulting the best available evidence is key to successful conservation decision-making. While much scientific evidence on conservation continues to be published in non-English languages, a poor understanding of how non-English-language science contributes to conservation decision-making is causing global assessments and studies to practically ignore non-English-language literature. By investigating the use of scientific literature in biodiversity assessment reports across 37 countries/territories, we have uncovered the established role of non-English-language literature as a major source of information locally. On average, non-English-language literature constituted 65% of the references cited, and these were recognized as relevant knowledge sources by 75% of report authors. This means that by ignoring non-English-language science, international assessments may overlook important information on local and/or regional biodiversity. Furthermore, a quarter of the authors acknowledged the struggles of understanding English-language literature. This points to the need to aid the use of English-language literature in domestic decision-making, for example, by providing non-English-language abstracts or improving and/or implementing machine translation. (This abstract is also avaialble in 21 other languages in Supplementary Data 4).
- Published
- 2023