In a culture where capitalist
objectives further the pursuit of material goods and financial
profit, conservation often feels like a sacrifice. In economics, the
conundrums conservation presents us; such as preserving our
Jarrah-Marri forests to save the numbats, at the cost of missing the
opportunity to fell the forests for lumber; is known as an
“opportunity cost” (Moffat n.d.).
While we can logically agree that
conservation is necessary to ensure a sustainable future (as we are
part of an interdependent system and the survival of our species
depends on so many others from micro-organisms to megafauna), this
argument is challenged by the largely emotive arguments of
capitalism. Capitalist ventures run campaigns to convince us that we
need to buy largely unnecessary products (such as bottled water) with
the motivation of maximising profits. While the concept of a “triple
bottom line” now is gaining some popularity in working the cost of
environmental impacts into the costing process (Hindle 2009), the
motivations of capitalist ventures continue to conflict with
conservation objectives, as demonstrated by a recent decision by the
Abbott government to seek to strip World Heritage status from 74,000
hectares of forest in Tasmania, in order to profit from logging it
(Darby 2014).
The emotionally manipulative marketing
campaigns consumer culture creates to compel our decisions cannot
however be countered purely with logic. So conservation campaigns
wrap logical arguments inside of emotionally laden narratives, in
order to create a compelling argument to counter the other
opportunities our natural resources could be applied towards, for
short term material goods, but long term consequences.
Characterising individual species as
indexes of conservation can make a compelling emotional argument, for
audiences to connect to.
Indexical Signs; The Prevalance of
Single Species and Vistas as Indices of Conservation
Conservation efforts are often marketed
through use of singular species, or vistas which function as indices
representative of larger conservation undertakings. Index signs,
according to C.S. Peirce's semiotics theory is a sign which directly
relates to the object it represents (Fiske 1982, 51). Within the
South-West region, the Chuditch has been an index sign for
sustainable use of electricity through Synergy's ongoing Switch
the Future campaign with mascot Sparky the Chuditch (Future
Energy Alliance 2012), and the Numbat, which has been used to
represent conservation efforts to preserve old growth forests
(Charlesworth
2013).
It is easier to promote a narrative surrounding an individual
species, than of an overall ecosystem; which may contain less
immediately appealing species, like Turtle Frogs*:
Single species driven approaches to
promoting conservation select species under a range of different
(sometimes overlapping) criteria which draw upon differing cultural
or ecological roles the species may perform.
Single species conservation approaches
are divided into the following categories: flagship species, keystone
species, umbrella species, and indicator species (Verissimo 2011, 5).
“Flagship Species” are selected as
cultural ambassadors of conservation. They are often species which
have similar characteristics as our own species, such as forward
facing eyes, opposable thumbs, upright posture, or comparable size
(Mooallem 2013, 60-61). An Australian example of a flagship species
is the Leadbeater's possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, which was
promoted during the 2013 federal election by the Greens party as the
flagship species of their argument for conservation (Garnett,
Possingham, and Woinarski 2013). Possums posses characteristics such
as forward facing eyes, tiny little hands, and a tendency to haul
around their offspring around which make them an easier species than
some, for us to relate to.
“Keystone Species” are species
which have a significant and unique impact on other species within
their ecosystem, which cannot be replaced by another species (Kaufman
and Franz 2000, 65). Keystone species may effect their ecosystems in
different manners, and some keystone species from the South West
Region of Western Australia include apex predators such as Great
White Sharks (Miller and Spoolman 2012, 98), and Acorn Banksias
Banksia prionotes; which during summer and autumn is
the primary
food source for the honeyeaters.
As the honeyeaters are
key pollinators
within their ecosystem,
the removal of that Banksia species would cause the ecosystem to
destabilise (Lambeck 1999).
“Umbrella Species” is a biological
term for a species which requires similar conditions as many other
species within its ecosystem, so efforts to preserve the ecological
conditions it needs to thrive will have a broad benefit on other
species (Fields and P. 2010).
“Indicator Species” a species whose
presence or absence in an ecosystem reveals valuable information as
to the overall health of the ecosystem (Kaufman and Franz 2000, 64).
i.e., the presence of Dusky Moorhen in a wetlands habitat, indicates
that there is a sufficient abundance of reeds (O’Neill
1999).
Ecology
While
it may be easier to rally support around an individual species as a
focal point to attract support to conservation efforts, this approach
can also be problematic, as for an individual to survive without
being eternally dependent on the interference of conservationists; it
must have the entire ecosystem it exists within, conserved so that it
can survive independently.
While
some conservation campaigns have detailed a wider array of species in
their signs; virtual environments are capable of expressing greater
complexities about ecosystems than can be expressed through such
static signs. These virtual environments may support the greater
understanding of such ecosystems, need to support conservation
efforts. This, combined with the increasing expectations of immersion
and engagement, and the changing literacies of audiences, make
virtual environments a compelling area to explore for conservation.
* My fixation with Turtle Frogs aside,
looking as they do, (like the progeny of Doctor Who character
Lady Cassandra from
episode 158 The End of the World; “Moisturise me, moisturise
me”), they're an unlikely index to rally support for conservation. (I can just imagine the poster: "Moisturise all the turtle frogs all the time, the precious little nightmare creatures need your help").
References
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