Conservation Efforts

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Kathryn Pintus, IUCN , "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 4) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 4. Verbatim.

Species are also important units in terms of conservation efforts. We often identify, prioritise and monitor biodiversity in terms of species, as we tend to understand them better than genes or ecosystems. As a result of the strong public interest in species, they also play a key role in engaging people in biodiversity conservation.

Let’s take a look at a few terms used to describe different types of species that you might come acrosswhen learning more about conservation:

Flagship species: these are usually very charismatic, well-known species such as the giant panda or the tiger. Flagship species are used to help raise awareness of the need for conservation, by acting as mascots for all sorts of other species in need of our help.

Umbrella species: as a result of targeting conservation efforts towards one particular species, a whole host of other species might end up being protected. The target species is then often referred to as an umbrella species, as it provides cover for many others! For instance, by protecting an area of rainforest in order to conserve the beautiful jaguar, all other species that live within that habitat will also be protected.

Keystone species: a keystone species is one which makes a disproportionately large contribution to the ecosystem it inhabits, given its biomass. Sea otters are keystone species; in terms of numbers, they do not form a massive part of the coastal area in which they live, yet, they make a huge contribution to their habitat. By eating sea urchins which, if left unchecked, can cause massive amounts of damage to their kelp forest habitat, sea otters help to maintain a balanced ecosystem for the other species living in the kelp forests.