The Differences And Influencing Factors In Conservation Awareness Of Freshwater Turtles,birds And Primates Among Citizens In Guangxi

The loss of biodiversity in freshwater systems is a serious issue in the 21 st century,while the freshwater ecosystem conservation lags behind those of terrestrial and marine ecosystems in China.There are abundant turtle species distribute in China,and Guangxi harbors the most diverse turtle species in the country,most of them are endangered and have not received corresponding attention.In this study,we chose turtle as indicator for freshwater species,bird and primate as indicators for terrestrial species,we compared the identification skill and conservation awareness of turtle vs.bird and primates by using semi-structured interview,aim to explore whether the freshwater system is of lower priority in current protect system.We implemented structure interview along different rivers in Guangxi and got 439 quesionaires,The identification skill and conservation awareness of target species were compared by using Kruskal-Wallis test、Wilcoxon test,,and the effect of interviewees’ social background information on their conservation awareness were analyzed with Logistic model.The main results of the study are as follows:The respondents had the highest awareness of bird protection,followed by primates,and the lowest awareness of turtle protection.Animal-related protection awareness raising program in Guangxi is insufficient and incomplete.Most respondents learned about animal-related information through We Chat.The Logistic model analysis showed that the conservation awareness program and economic situation had positive effects on respondents’ awareness of turtle conservation.The conservation awareness program,economic situation and region had a positive effect on the respondents’ awareness of bird conservation.conservation awareness program and economic situation had a positive effect on respondents’ awareness of primate conservation,while region had a negative effect.,and conservation awareness program had the greatest effect on awareness of conservation of all the three animals.The level of respondents’ protection awareness was mainly influenced by their ability to identify animals and their knowledge of animal protection,and the two factors mutually influenced each other.The level of animal identification and protection awareness among respondents of turtles was lower than that of birds and primates.From the perspective of mediation analysis,protection program had a significant effect on bird and primate protection awareness but not on turtle protection awareness.Overall,this study provides valuable insights into the protection awareness of different animal species among citizens in Guangxi and the factors influencing their protection awareness.And provides suggestions on future relevant protection program.