In conservation biology, flagship species play the role of cute puppies:
These species are chosen for their vulnerability, attractiveness or distinctiveness in order to best engender support and acknowledgment from the public at large. Thus, the concept of a flagship species holds that by giving publicity to a few key species, the support given to those species will successfully leverage conservation of entire ecosystems and all species contained therein.
This is fighting a bias with a bias: people do not care as much as they should about conservation while they care too much of cute puppies. Science in general could adapt this technique: use “popular” subjects to attract funds to “good but unpopular” subjects.
If this is too much of the “dark side” for you, umbrella species might be more appropriate.
This is fighting a bias with a bias: people do not care as much as they should about conservation while they care too much of cute puppies.
Surely this is fighting your preference with a bias. How robust do you think your argument is, not that conservation is important, but that it’s more important that the other things people invest in?
In conservation biology, flagship species play the role of cute puppies:
This is fighting a bias with a bias: people do not care as much as they should about conservation while they care too much of cute puppies. Science in general could adapt this technique: use “popular” subjects to attract funds to “good but unpopular” subjects.
If this is too much of the “dark side” for you, umbrella species might be more appropriate.
Surely this is fighting your preference with a bias. How robust do you think your argument is, not that conservation is important, but that it’s more important that the other things people invest in?