Forums | HES 健康与环境科学

24 October 2025, 4:26 PM

Speaker: Dr. Magdalena (Magda)  Lenda

Title: Cognitive biases in nature conservation

Date: 2025-10-28

Time: 14:00-15:00 

Room: ES354

Host: Professor Eben Goodale

Tencent Meeting ID: 979-1135-5376

Abstract: 

My seminar describes the social, psychological, and communicative forces that shape contemporary nature conservation. First I will map divergences in terminology and conceptual boundaries among scientists, showing how definitional inconsistencies may complicate public discourse and policy. Then I will analyze cognitive and social mechanisms—confirmation bias, moral dilemmas, social proof, and the influence of public figures—that create attitudes toward conservation and participation in pro-environmental behaviors. The seminar evaluates use of memes in conservation marketing, assessing their potential to induce attention while also risking oversimplification and misinformation. Particular emphasis is placed on social media’s dual role: amplifying engagement and willingness to protect species, yet simultaneously constructing stereotypes that skew risk perception and conservation priorities. Finally, I will talk about a central paradox: heightened affection for charismatic, “cute” species can inadvertently stimulate illicit demand, fueling black markets and poaching even for legally protected taxa.

Biography:

Magdalena (Magda) Lenda is associate professor at the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in Krakow, Poland. She obtained her PhD from Jagiellonian University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions at the University of Queensland In Australia. She actively collaborates with the University of Cambridge. Her teaching and research expertise is in community ecology, scientific methodology in conservation psychology. She has worked with a variety of organisms, ranging from plant to insect pollinators to bird communities in a variety of settings, such as laboratory, urban areas, abandoned agricultural fields and forests. Current research emphasis is on using psychology and economics in research methods to gain a better understanding of how humans influence nature, both to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms and to develop better strategies to improve nature conservation.

Look forward to seeing you!

Liwen Wu