Graduation Date
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Social Science, Environment and Community
Committee Chair Name
Yvonne Everett
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Laurie Richmond
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Janelle Adsit
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Environment and Community
Abstract
Through story, personal experience is connected to broader meaning. The stories that individuals tell about a flagship species contribute not only to the animal’s role in conservation, but also to collective human imagination and culture. The purpose of this research is to reveal the roles (social, cultural, political, and ecological) that the desert tortoise plays in the California Desert, and to uncover how these roles are demonstrated through conservationist’s narratives. This study utilizes mixed qualitative methods with the goal of discovering why the Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), an iconic and threatened species, has particular significance within the desert conservation community. Results suggest that the desert tortoise plays several salient roles in the socio-ecological landscape of the California Desert that fundamentally reflect the place-based values of residents. Six specific themes were found that reify the tortoise’s place as a surrogate species and spotlight the place of the species in the human imagination. A discussion of the results illuminates how the conservation-reliant status of the tortoise, coupled with protection of biodiversity that is accomplished by deploying the species in development debates, highlights the need for more research on the social, political, and cultural significance of the tortoise. Further research exploring how narrative demonstrates socio-cultural dimensions of flagship conservation could be beneficial to understanding human perceptions of iconic wildlife and anthropogenic impacts on a broad scale.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Kohn, Halle Rayn, "The desert's canary: a narrative examination of the socio-political role of the threatened desert tortoise" (2018). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 150.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/150