Polling the Public to Select Flagship Species for Tourism and Conservation-A 'Big Five' for the Peruvian Amazon?

ABSTRACT: Flagship species are used to promote conservation and tourism. Africa's famous 'Big five' have become marketing flagships that fundraisers and tourism promoters emulate globally. Species can be selected systematically for marketing using characteristics such as colour, size or behaviour, but this approach can overlook unique animals or homogenise selections. Alternatively, polling the public can reveal existing preferences for animals directly. We used questionnaires with tourists in the Peruvian Amazon to identify existing biases for species and rank them for suitability for tourism and conservation marketing. Polling revealed several species that would not be considered good flagship candidates using systematic methods based on species characteristics. 'Free listing' tourists expr

SUBMITTER: Recharte M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11825210 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature