Comparison of perceptions regarding the reintroduction of river otters and oriental storks in Japan

Abstract

While reintroducing extirpated species is an important approach for restoring self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems, previous studies have shown that public support and understanding are indispensable for the success of such projects. In this study, the attitudes of university students toward species that have already been reintroduced in Japan (oriental storks) and those that have not yet been reintroduced (river otters) were compared. A questionnaire survey was conducted in a private university in Japan, and the results (n = 360) revealed that the students more likely supported the reintroduction of oriental storks than that of river otters. A majority did not know the reasons accounting for the extirpation of these species, and a text mining analysis revealed that those who saw the news about reintroduction of oriental stork showed a higher likelihood to support the project. Thus, the participants’ attitudes toward species reintroduction were not necessarily affected by their knowledge regarding the concerned species, but by the transient experiences, such as watching news about the project.