Public Perceptions of Deep-Sea Environment: Evidence From Scotland and Norway

Knowledge of people’s understanding of environmental problems is vital for the effective
implementation of the ecosystem approach to marine management. This is especially
relevant when conservation goals are aimed at ecosystems in the deep-sea that are
remote to the consciousness of most people. This study explores public perceptions of
the deep-sea environment among the Scottish and Norwegian public. It further analyses
the relationships between respondents’ pro-environmental concerns toward the marine
environment and personal characteristics using a multiple indicators multiple causes
model. The results show that public knowledge of the deep-sea environment is low for
Scottish and moderate for Norwegians. Awareness of cold-water corals was high for the
Lofoten case study area amongst the Norwegian public and low for the Mingulay reef
complex in the Scottish case. These differences might arise because Norway is known
to host the world’s largest cold-water corals in the Lofoten area; a fact that has been
well-publicized. We find that most people think changes in the deep-sea have at least
some effect on them. On average, the public perceive the deep-sea condition to be at
most “fairly good” but are dissatisfied with the management of it with approximately only
one third or less thinking it is well-managed. Generally, the public perception from both
countries show ecocentric attitudes toward the marine environment implying that they
recognize the value of ecosystem services, the current ecological crisis and the need for
sustainable management.