Perception and Conservation

It is not an unknown matter that beautiful animals get more attention. Animals which are regarded as majestic, cute, beautiful  and so forth are often the center of attention. These animals are usually the ones which gain more and more support in the matter of conservation,. And I am here to ask whether there is something that can be done to change it?

Usually such a matter is not of great importance because most of the animals that are beautiful are usually the center of poaching, fur trading  or trophy hunting hence these animals are the ones that are usually in need of conservation and protection methods. Hence the more publicity, animals such as tigers, leopards and foxes  gain, the more funds and energy are focused to stop their poaching and conserve their environment.  So far so good as more of the public gain awareness in regards to these beautiful animals  then more effort and pressure is placed on governments and it's very likely that these governments will focus on conserving those species.

But  there is a major problem with this. Whilst people are focusing on tigers and pandas, smaller "uglier" animals are often pushed aside. An example of this are bats. Although some people find them beautiful, most people look back in disgust or ignorance on bats and other "ugly species". This means that groups aiming at conservation or study of these species  often find themselves underfunded and having more trouble with local authorities in regards of legislations that concern the species they are trying to conserve. 

So what can we do about it? Awareness of these species is often the best idea but also a combination of species conservation such as WWF which although receives funds for a particular animal due to its beauty but chooses to spend it where it is most needed. In addition to that linking conservation efforts to different species might encourage the general public to show an interest in animals they otherwise wouldn't because they affect animals which they care about. For example linking insects with birds will often have an effect where the general public understands that in order for the birds to flourish , insects are needed and in order for insects to flourish less pollution should take place and so forth.

There needs to be an understanding of how ecosystems work. Organizations have to let people know that their money will be spend in such a way which might benefit a species indirectly rather than directly. People need to understanding that nature works in a balance and a petition which could save the rainforest will indirectly save the jaguar. Although major organizations have made sure that money don't go directly to the animal conservation but also to habitat conservation which benefits the animal directly and indirectly, some people still seem to protest about their money going elsewhere. Hopefully with proper education people will soon find out what it means to conserve even the ugliest of species.