Heroes and villains
- Rachel Baxter
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
Saving the unsung species from extinction
Why do we wish for butterflies to land on us, but run in fear of moths?
We, as humans, seem to attach different values to different species. Whether we judge an animal by its deemed intelligence, beauty, cuteness or cultural symbolism, our views and opinions can shape what is saved and what is lost.
Charities and campaigns working to protect nature’s biggest icons — whether blue whales, orang-utans or polar bears — will always receive more support than those protecting the insects and amphibians that are just as important.
Will the Bat Conservation Trust ever reach the same fame as the RSPB? Even though both organisations are working to protect winged animals essential to the environment as pollinators and seed dispersers.
Why are birds seen as elegant and ethereal beings while bats are revered as vampiric beasts? Vampire bats might drink blood, but so do oxpeckers — two species of sweet-looking brown bird native to sub-Saharan Africa.
All in our heads
Evolutionary psychology suggests we naturally favour doe-eyed cuddly-looking animals with soft features because they trigger our nurturing side. Just as a human baby might.
Media portrayal also plays a huge role. Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, was famously a passionate advocate for shark conservation as he felt guilty for turning the shark into Hollywood’s most revered villain. Although large shark species are indeed predators and have very occasionally bitten humans, they are not the danger we perceive them to be.
In fact, sharks are being decimated the world over due to overfishing and demand from the shark fin trade (mainly for the East Asian delicacy shark fin soup). More than 100 million are pulled out of the sea each year. And without these crucial top-down predators, entire underwater ecosystems feel a knock-on effect. Ecosystems that humans rely on for food.
Unhealthy and unbalanced oceans threaten human food security. When reef sharks become too few, the predatory fish they eat grow in numbers, in turn consuming smaller fish on the reef. But these small fish eat algae. When algae growth is not controlled, harmful toxic blooms can occur. These suffocate the coral reefs that, when healthy, sustain so much life.
Giving nature a voice
Every species fills an ecological niche. It has its place in the environment. Its place within food chains and food webs. As we dive deeper into the current mass extinction — a time when plant and animal species globally are being lost at an alarming rate — surely, every species deserves to be saved.
We may not realise the consequences of an extinction until it is too late.
Supporting the conservation of overlooked species multiplies your impact. Here are some great UK-based organisations working to protect less romanticised — yet still important — species today:
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