Making biodiversity visible: species representation on signs in Västra Götaland's nature reserves

Abstract

Interpretive signs in nature reserves are an important on-site communication tool for conveying ecological knowledge to visitors and fostering connections between people and nature. How ever, little empirical research exists on what ecological information these signs convey and how well this communication aligns with visitor interests. This study examines biodiversity com munication on interpretive signs in nature reserves in Västra Götaland, Sweden. A mixed-meth ods approach combined a visitor survey with a systematic content analysis of 300 signs. The survey, conducted via QR codes placed on signs across 16 reserves, assessed visitor interests and motivations for nature conservation using predominantly Likert-scale questions. Respond ents (n = 122) were mainly frequent visitors to nature reserves and were predominantly over 45 years old. Overall, interest in ecological information was high, as well as the importance of nature conservation was rated very highly. The signage analysis recorded ecological content and interpretation tools to capture not only what information is communicated but also how it is presented. In total, 4,444 species occurrences representing 1,265 distinct species were iden tified, with plants being the most frequently presented group and also appearing most often in illustrations. However, relative to text occurrences, invertebrates were proportionally more il lustrated. A good practice example is oaks (Quercus spp.), which appeared on nearly one-third of the signs and effectively linked species presentation with broader biodiversity explanations. Temporal analyses revealed shifts in communication strategies: texts have become longer while readability indices decreased, the number of illustrations and species mentioned per sign de clined, and the use of interpretation tools increased. Overall, the patterns identified in the sign age analysis largely corresponded with visitor interests expressed in the survey. The study high lights strengths and limitations of current interpretive practices and suggests that emphasizing ecological connections and effective interpretation tools could improve nature conservation communication.