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The term biodiversity is widely used by scientists, international policy makers and the general public. Its representation in mass media plays a key role in shaping public perceptions of biodiversity and informing the public about scientific developments with implications for ecosystem conservation and management. Our exploratory case study of major newspapers in the province of Québec, Canada, characterized the representation of biodiversity in the media from 2006 to 2012 in 567 articles. We showed that biodiversity was not explicitly defined in the media, yet consistently associated with positive outcomes, views and beliefs. The term was used as a catch-all argument frequently supporting proponent and opponent views regarding an issue or project. Overall, the definitions, uses and values associated with biodiversity did not change significantly over the study period, except for a small increase of the term in news media during the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity compared to the average. There was, however, evidence of a shift towards ecosystem services associated with the concept following 2010. As such, potential linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem services reflected in the scientific literature seem to be reflected in media discourse. We discuss these trends and contrast them with the representation of other core environmental issues such as climate change and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of its economic outputs, the Canadian mining sector has suffered from several setbacks that have compromised its reputation. This has led many of its stakeholders to adopt a shift towards a new paradigm focused on sustainable development. In this review of the literature, we identify the impact that mining activities have had on various social, economic and environmental issues in Canadian society. We also survey the criteria and indicators included in various models that may be used to evaluate the adequacy of the transition of mines towards sustainable development. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of eight tools that have been applied to the socioeconomic impact of mines are analysed. A clear vision of prospects for promoting sustainable development in Canadian mining emerges from this survey. Our analysis reveals important factors not given adequate consideration in the models used currently to evaluate and suggests opportunities to improve these evaluation tools through identification of more relevant criteria and indicators. The research undertaken should incite stakeholders to develop social and economic impact evaluation tools that are better adapted to the Canadian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]