Younger adults overlook nearby biodiversity as species names fade from memory

Many young adults are familiar with common species such as dandelions or sparrows.

In contrast, plants and birds typical of fields, meadows and other agricultural habitats are significantly less well known.

This is shown by a new study from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) published in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine.

For the study, the research team surveyed 463 adults of various age groups in an agricultural region of Germany.

The results suggest that knowledge of typical agricultural landscape species is declining, particularly among younger generations. ...