"How should we decide which species to prioritise for conservation?"

The northern white rhinoceros, nightingale reed-warbler and Hawaiian cow represent only a fraction of the many species which listed on the IUCN list of threatened species. Moreover, many thousands of species have already become extinct across the world over the last 100 years. The impact of extinction on the biological world is unprecedented and it creates a ripple effect which impacts all aspects of our lives. This current rate of extinction is out of our scope, our resources are limited and the time available is inadequate. On top of that, ecologists can’t even successfully estimate the number of organisms going extinct! In order to tackle this Herculean task, it is necessary, now more than ever, to devise a ranking of importance to decide which species to conserve.

When the topic regarding conservation comes up, what is the first thing you think of? Surely, a Bengal tiger or a fluffy polar bear. This is because the main focus of conservation is on flagship species. They are generally animals which are preferred by the public allowing them to secure a large proportion of the funding. Famous flagship species range from the cuddly Panda to the good ole’ American bald eagle. A disadvantage of this method is that the fixation on a small number of organisms skews the public perception of conservation. This type of conservation is essential to put the topic on the public agenda but too much of it can be detrimental.

Although, there is a substantial overlap between keystone and flagship species, there are still many ecologically important organisms which are devoid of attention. As opposed to pandas, spiders are an example of keystone species but not flagship species. Spiders are crucial in sustaining many food chains therefore if a s...

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...to conclude, the theory of consequentialism should be applied when deciding which species deserve a greater level of conservation. Therefore, conservation should be applied in a way that the maximum amount of good for the maximum number of species is achieved. This involves conserving the species which can sustain others and sustain a high level of biodiversity. Moreover, there need to be measures in place to ensure that some species are not the target of too much or any conservation. Nevertheless, we can never be sure about whether conserving some species which are too close to extinction is actually a fool’s errand. As the American bison, which was almost abandoned due to the fact that its population fell to 950, ultimately survived. The northern white rhino might be a hopeless case. Or, it could be another American bison, sitting tight for rescue.

By Usama Safeer