I have been doing some independent research, and found that the IUCN does not have Myriapod Specialist Group in the SSC despite calls for one from some in the scientific community (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7200887/). It made me start to think about animal groups that are in need of more conservation awareness. Invertebrates in general do seem to get the short end of the stick. I could only find two invertebrate dedicated conservation groups. All of this has led me to a couple of questions that I wanted to ask other nature lovers. What animals really need dedicated conservation groups (something like a Specialist Group in the SSC) and what are people doing to protect them
People generally care about nature in direct correlation with emotional responses.
To put it another way, how much does the organism resemble a human baby? This can dictate conservation funding, research working groups, etc.
Pandas get a lot of attention. Plants and fungi, not so much.
The winner for “most significant + least funding and least attention”, might be microorganisms. Although it’s polyphyletic.
40% of extinctions in the last 500 years have been non-marine mollusks. Freshwater mussels have been getting more attention, but most others are almost completely unstudied and unprotected.
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Thanks for your comment, @thomaseverest! I was thinking of tagging you, so I’m glad to see you commented here.
People DO find octopuses to be charismatic. I’ve seen a YouTube channel that is thriving by showing octopus interactions.
I think obscure freshwater clams and similar molluscs don’t get much love, though. Those few octopus species that are common in the pet trade (or in zoos or aquariums) suck up all the attention.
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yes – excluding human and livestock pathogens, which get a huge chunk of medical research funding. not that I’m complaining, I rather like not dying of smallpox
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This is true, sadly.
I was at an underwater illumination show. (Basically like a planetarium except for marine life) and what did they show?
Whales, dolphins, seals, turtles, penguins, sea-horses, clownfish, great whites, etc.
Justice for marine inverts! (they’re at least equally as cool)
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I personally feel that if someone were to highlight just how bizarre and wonderful some of them are, more people would be willing to help them out. I think education and outreach is one of the most easily solved issues for these underdogs.
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My son has always loved cephalopods, all of them, and speaks of them in such a way that when I see one, even a depiction of one, I instantly think of my boy and feel a rush of maternal love, like AWW, SQUIDD. (They are out for me as a food source.)
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I was at a meeting (garden club, I think) where there was a Xerces Society representative speaking and he suggested that since the bulk of funding comes from advertising with charismatic megafauna (wolves, bears, elephants, etc.) he thought we should focus our fundraising efforts on charismatic microfauna such as… bumblebees!
BTW, if you are concerned about conserving invertebrates, Xerces Society is a good organization to join.
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In many cases, species conservation comes down to habitat protection and enhancement. It’s true that big charismatic animals get more interest and support from the general public than do other organisms. But on the good news side, conservation actions that benefit these big charismatic species often involve protecting large swaths of habitat that are also home to myriads of other taxa. That’s why large carnivores, for example, are termed “umbrella species” because conserving their habitat can also benefit many other taxa.
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See their poster - Protect the caracal and you protect them all.
The owls also have charisma.
Pacific island land snails, all of them.
The most well-known example are Polynesian tree snails (Partula):
Another well-known group are Oahu tree snail (Achatinella):
…although this should actually be 31 extinct and 10 CR, but IUCN hasn’t updated these in over 30 years compared to Partula just being updated in the 2024-1 update.
And of course there are other families and genera which are in danger, say Amastra with 144 accepted species and only 7 extant, all of which are critically endangered. (Again IUCN is not updated on these, this is a common issue with all Hawaiian land snail species)
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Snakes. In my state of Florida, only two species are federally protected despite many more being threatened. Rim Rock Crowned Snakes, endemic to south Florida where they are highly susceptible to habitat loss due to urbanization, are possibly the rarest snake in the country and are afforded no federal protection. Neither are the perhaps equally rare South Florida Mole Kingsnake, or the Short-tailed Kingsnake. Coral Snakes, Eastern Hognose snakes, Rough Greensnakes, Common Kingsnakes, and Indigo snakes were all abundant in SFL pre-80’s; all are now extremely rare (hognose are probably extirpated).
This is the reason we need charismatic species, however, like Florida panthers or redwood trees. By protecting these species, which is easier to do than little known or cared for species, we will protect the habitat for all species.
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All non-domesticated ones.
Wild mammals make up only a few percent of the world’s mammals - Our World in Data
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Thank you for posting the link, I really feel like as many people need to see this as the hockey stick curve type charts. I feel physically uncomfortable every time I see it, a sense of inescapable dread.
I think there is an argument for more attention to parasitic wasps, on the basis that things are more vulnerable the higher they are up the food chain. Conserving flowers is relatively easy (I said relatively) - give them the right growing conditions and protect them from invasives and diseases. Conserving the insects which feed on the plants is more difficult. They will have subtle requirements for plant genotype, growth stage, amount of sun and shade, and they need different micro-habitats for larvae, pupae and adults. Conserving the ichneumons requires all the above plus another set of requirements for the wasps. And you are balancing whether there are enough larvae to keep the wasp population and the host population. Then there are the parasitic wasps that parasitise parasitic wasps …
The way to do it isn’t to micro-manage each species, but to have large blocks of habitat with a mosaic of conditions that will suit everything.
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