%0 Journal Article
%T Storytelling: A Natural Tool to Weave the Threads of Science and Community Together
%J The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America - Wiley Online Library
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1542
%X Humans have been telling stories nearly since we became Homo sapiens, sharing them orally before the invention of writing. Storytelling may even be an evolutionary mechanism, embedded in our very DNA, which helped keep our ancestors alive (Smith et al. 2017). A narrative develops from both data and emotions, which is significantly more effective in engaging a listener than data alone (Dahlstrom 2014). Additionally, sharing stories connects us to one another. When we convey both information and our personal experiences through storytelling, our listeners begin to connect what they hear to their own lives (Downs 2014). Through this process, rapport is built, along with credibility and trust. In short, humans are hard wired for storytelling (Pickering and Garrod 2004, Stephens et al. 2010). And, anyone can tell a story, making it an incredibly empowering and effective form of communication for multiple scenarios. Storytelling can serve as an effective tool for community engagement, particularly with regard to environmental issues. Effective sharing of conservation success stories has been critical in providing useful information to design similar interventions to improve ecosystem and human health (Leslie et al. 2013, Gross et al. 2018). Local community members frequently have placeŠ\based stories to share about their environments, especially those who observe it every day (Polfus et al. 2016). Stories range from anecdotal incidents to narratives that document and explain annual ecological patterns within the ecosystems that surround and support human communities (Ban et al. 2017, Robbins 2018). Sharing these stories empowers community members by demonstrating not only their knowledge, but also their care and value of the environment they live in every day. The local knowledge communities hold about their surrounding ecosystems can illuminate the past and dictate its future (Plieninger et al. 2014). The value of science to humanity is almost immeasurable. Science has extended human lives, transformed the way we understand and see the world, and changed our daily existence. And yet, today, the pursuit of discovery and the scientists who conduct the work are often disconnected from society. By partnering with communities, scientists have an opportunity to improve access to and understanding of technical and scientific information (Leslie et al. 2013). In this way, scientists can better support the inclusion of communities in important decisionŠ\making processes (Varga et al. 2016). Likewise, community members have deep knowledge and experience that can benefit
%U https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bes2.1542