Hearing ourselves (and acting in consequence): A commentary on Bekessy et al. from a bird-handling environmental education perspective

Abstract

In this comment, we outline our own experience in almost 10 years of educational talks using birds of prey as ambassadors of their wild populations in the large metropolis of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Based on the ideas settled in the Bekkessy et al. (2018) paper, we account for our discursive change over the years, from a sustained development-based one, to a holistic, nature-based one, in which we highlight the same values that led us into getting involved in conservation actions. We discuss to what extent we believe the prevailing discursive paradigm is helping people to become involved in real conservation actions.