Conservation Triage

“Q: could you tell us a bit more about conservation? like, what are the ‘truly integral’ species that we should be trying the hardest to protect?”
— Anonymous
“Q: In light of the pandas post, if I wanted to donate to some conservation effort, do you know if there are ones that make a “better” use of their money than others? ”
— Anonymous

When I call a species “more important”, that is, of course, a hella oversimplification, and you would be right in asking me but how can you really decide which ones are more important? Ecosystems are so complex and interconnected that, when it comes down to it, every species is important - but the loss of certain species would result in greater repercussions than others. For example:

  • Keystone species: a species whose presence affects a disproportionate number of other species, such as predators that control prey populations (sharks, sea otters)

  • Ecosystem engineers: sub-group of keystone species, these guys affect the environment in such a way that it drastically changes the resources available for other species (beavers, crocodilians)

  • Umbrella species: species that require such a large habitat that protecting them would mean thousands of other species would benefit from that protection (bison, or like, monarch butterflies)

  • Flagship species: this is the category the panda falls into - species that capture the hearts of the masses and garner loads of media attention and money; could also act as umbrella species

To protect species, we have to protect environments, and once again we get bogged down with nuances and priorities. Do we protect areas of high biodiversity, like tropical rainforests, where there are hundreds of species within a few metres of each other, that aren’t found anywhere else? Or do we protect areas of high population, like the Canadian boreal forests, where there are few species but so many trees that it stores twice as much carbon as a tropical rainforest?

Conservation is messy and overwhelming, and as I mentioned before, there’s never enough money or interest to protect everything. If you do want to help, do some research on your local zoos or aquariums - certain facilities will have programs for captive breeding, rescue work, research, or other environmental aid. For example, the Vancouver Aquarium runs a sustainable seafood program, and Monterey Bay Aquarium is just a conservation dreamboat, so supporting places like these means you can feel good and have fun all at once.

I don’t know of any independent conservation programs in particular to support over others - though I imagine programs like World Wildlife Fund, the IUCN Red List, and National Wildlife Federation are solid places to start. If anyone has some personal experience, though, I would be more than happy to pass it on.