Charismatic, but not attractive: bringing attention to the conservation of freshwater cetaceans

Do freshwater ecosystems and their charismatic species attract sufficient public attention in global biodiversity conservation efforts? In this study, we analyzed web-based public interest, news reports, and academic research concerning freshwater cetaceans and their respective river basins. We compared these findings with those of other endangered flagship species (six species selected globally and three nationally in China) inhabiting terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Our results indicated that public interest in freshwater cetaceans remained stable over the past two decades, contributing 7% to the awareness of the basins they inhabit. Although the number of news reports and academic research on freshwater cetaceans increased significantly, by 705 and 52 respectively, the growth rate was notably slower compared to that of other endangered flagship species inhabiting terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Regions with higher attention to freshwater cetaceans were typically economically developed areas. Even in China where the freshwater cetacean conservation has recently achieved significant success, insufficient attention and local interest towards freshwater cetaceans were still underscored. Correlation analysis revealed that current news coverage and academic research were not effectively raising public interest in freshwater cetaceans. We strongly recommend launching nature education campaigns to enhance local awareness and interest in freshwater cetacean conservation, drawing insights from successful conservation efforts in other ecosystems. Effective collaboration between media and scientific agencies is essential to bridge the ‘knowing-doing’ gap, ensuring the dissemination of scientific findings to the public and academic institutions.