Effective communication is essential to drive change in biodiversity and agricultural research — yet, despite growing awareness and outreach efforts, the message often fails to reach or resonate with key audiences such as farmers and policymakers. To understand why, researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Wageningen University (WUR) conducted a study exploring how to make science communication on biodiversity-friendly farming more impactful.

In this new SHOWCASE video abstract, Dr. Elena Velado Alonso explains how they reviewed existing literature and analysed nearly 6,000 social media posts to uncover how different stakeholders, from farmers to scientists, talk about biodiversity and conservation. Their findings reveal that “biodiversity” is a widely used term, but its meaning varies greatly across groups. This diversity of narratives can lead to misunderstanding and limit the effectiveness of communication efforts.

Dr. Velado Alonso argues that to improve communication, scientists must move beyond neutrality and strategically position themselves within the conversation. Taking a clear stance does not compromise scientific integrity — rather, it strengthens credibility, helps convey values and motivations and ensures that research findings are not misused or reframed by others.

Their advice to the scientific community is clear: develop a communication strategy, know your audience, and don’t be afraid to take a stand. By crafting intentional narratives grounded in evidence, scientists can ensure that their messages about biodiversity and sustainable farming are both authentic and influential.

Read the study here. 

Watch the video: