Animal-named businesses are low-cost, accessible indicators of wildlife socio-cultural value

Wildlife not only play a pivotal role in providing irreplaceable ecosystem services but also hold immense socio-cultural value for communities by shaping cultural identities and fostering human connections with the natural world. However, quantifying the socio-cultural value of wildlife is challenging and typically relies on targeted participant-based interviews or questionnaires. This study explores an alternative approach by analyzing animal-named businesses as indicators of wildlife socio-cultural value. As a case study, all 4,767 animal-named businesses in New Zealand (excluding animal-focused businesses like veterinarians) were compiled. Analyses of these businesses confirmed that socio-cultural values are conveyed through businesses names including personal connections to animals and cultural reverence. Furthermore, significant geographic animal-region associations were identified, revealing spatial patterns in socio-cultural values. Overall, the analysis of animal-named businesses provides a scalable, widely-accessible, cost-effective method to explore socio-cultural value and uncovers connections that can be used to support management efforts and target further research.