Animal-named businesses are low-cost, accessible indicators of wildlife socio-cultural value

Trevyn A. Toone

Ecosystem Services, 2024, vol. 65, issue C

Abstract: Wildlife not only play a pivotal role in providing irreplaceable ecosystem services but also hold immense socio-cultural value for communities by shaping cultural identities and fostering human connections with the natural world. However, quantifying the socio-cultural value of wildlife is challenging and typically relies on targeted participant-based interviews or questionnaires. This study explores an alternative approach by analyzing animal-named businesses as indicators of wildlife socio-cultural value. As a case study, all 4,767 animal-named businesses in New Zealand (excluding animal-focused businesses like veterinarians) were compiled. Analyses of these businesses confirmed that socio-cultural values are conveyed through businesses names including personal connections to animals and cultural reverence. Furthermore, significant geographic animal-region associations were identified, revealing spatial patterns in socio-cultural values. Overall, the analysis of animal-named businesses provides a scalable, widely-accessible, cost-effective method to explore socio-cultural value and uncovers connections that can be used to support management efforts and target further research.

Keywords: Cultural value; Ecosystem services; Evaluation methods; CES valuation; Environmental assessment; New Zealand (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:65:y:2024:i:c:s2212041623000700

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2023.101577

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