Social media could be putting rare species at risk

People flocking to rare or endangered species habitats in the hopes of snapping a photo could be doing unnecessary harm to the species.

Biologists in a Scottish national park are walking the line between drawing attention to the plight of the capercaillie, a large woodland grouse, and discouraging people from seeking out the birds. It’s estimated that only 530 birds exist in the wild, and yet birders and photographers from around the world are arriving to see them. This kind of disruption from humans could make the difference in the bird’s breeding behavior.

Similar attention impacts flora and fauna in China, Australia and beyond. The impacts drove Robert Davis, a senior lecturer in wildlife ecology at Edith Cowan University in western Australia, to co-author a study in the journal Science of the Total Environment that highlighted the negative impacts of online posting and photography on biodiversity.

Read more in The Guardian.