Inner Bark: Empathy in Conservation
Join Bark for our monthly in-office educational speaker series! This month features Kathayoon Khalil, Ph.D., discussing her work to understand how to foster empathy for animals through environmental education. Empathy for animals is one promising pathway for cultivating pro-environmental behaviors in our guests and program participants. Furthermore, fostering empathy can be done intentionally and strategically by incorporating specific practices and approaches in our work.
“My research interests center on the relationship between humans and animals, including connectedness to nature, attitudes towards wildlife, and environmental action. I’m passionate about helping practitioners to access, understand, and use research in their work. My primary project in this area has been to bring research on empathy for animals to conservation professionals for use in education, animal care, marketing, and beyond.
To learn more about this work, please visit the Seattle Aquarium empathy website.
I have also published papers on evaluation, behavior change, the field of conservation psychology, and a book on evaluation for conservation education professionals.
My book is available for purchase here.”