It's likely that you, at some point, have liked or shared a photo of nature on social media. But new research suggests that doing so could have detrimental effects — even if wholly unintended.
What's happening?
As detailed by The Conversation, "It is possible to love species to death." A study published in Science of the Total Environment found that there's a trend of direct and indirect disturbances to wildlife when a natural place goes viral on social media.
Direct disturbances can include disruptions to breeding and feeding, while indirect disturbances can include diseases and increased poaching.
"Viral photos of undisturbed natural beauty can lead thousands of people to head there," The Conversation explained. "As more people arrive, they begin destroying what they loved seeing on screen."
The study analyzed reports from around the globe of photographers — both amateur and professional — disturbing plant and animal life. The researchers were especially critical of overzealous tourists and photographers using "unethical practices" to get pictures of vulnerable wildlife, including using various lures and drones.
Photographers are known for using bird call playback (playing a bird's calls) to encourage them to appear. But using them incorrectly or too often can open birds to predators, change instinctive behaviors, or disrupt breeding.
Drones, on the other hand, can frighten many species of wildlife, causing them to break cover, try to escape, or become aggressive. There are also instances of birds being injured or killed by flying drones.
The researchers also report that eager crowds can accidentally trample wild flora. Even if not trodden over by the original photographers, vibrant natural flora can be at risk from location exposure. The researchers highlighted a rare orchid in Vietnam that recently went extinct in the wild after going viral online.
Why is this study important?
Social media photography can be a powerful conservation tool. Photography, when taken and posted mindfully, can promote environmental activism, encourage nature-based connections, and provide public education.
However, the photos you see on social media aren't always taken ethically — and that's the problem. This analysis highlights how critical it is to the health of wildlife and native ecosystems to leave nature undisturbed.
"Social media do not directly cause damage, of course," The Conversation wrote. "But the desire for positive feedback, visibility, or income can be very strong incentives to act badly."
For example, the critically endangered blue-crowned laughingthrush of China has a wild population of around 300. Sadly, so many people went to find and photograph the rare bird that it was forced to change how it nested to avoid flashlights and the sound of camera shutters, as noted by The Conversation and a separate study. And that's just one example of many.
What's being done to curb social media's impact on nature?
While there are definite benefits to promoting the beauty of the natural world on social media, the study's researchers call for codes of conduct around doing so. They also encourage more monitoring of wildlife posts, even if that might be challenging to implement on a large scale.
However, what social media users can do is monitor their own behavior and posting. The researchers recommend holding off on sharing images of rare flora until after flowering season is complete and using discretion when posting photos with location tags.
It's also important to be mindful of regulations around photography when at a national park or other regulated location. While the problem may not be you and your behavior, you could inadvertently lead people who aren't as mindful to a vulnerable wildlife location.
The researchers also encourage parks and land managers to ban drones from specific areas, which is already a popular restriction, and recommend making it harder to access environmentally sensitive areas.
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