Indices or Ecology: The Difficulties of Differing Approaches to Promoting Conservation

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.

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* 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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Darby, A. 2014. Abbott government to cut 74,000 ha of forest from World Heritage zone. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-to-cut-74000-ha-of-forest-from-world-heritage-zone-20140131-31qy6.html (accessed January 3, 2014).

Fields, G. and J. P. 2010. Umbrella and Keystone Species. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen06/gen06898.htm (accessed February 6, 2014).

Fiske, J. 1982. Introduction to Communication Studies. London: Methuen & Co.

Future Energy Alliance. 2012. About Switch the Future. http://www.switchthefuture.com.au/About/ (accessed February 6, 2014).

Garnett, S. H. Possingham, J. Woinarski. 2013. Let’s put threatened species on the election agenda. http://theconversation.com/lets-put-threatened-species-on-the-election-agenda-17235 (accessed January 31, 2014).

Hindle, T. 2009. Idea: Triple bottom line. http://www.economist.com/node/14301663 accessed February 6, 2014).

Kaufman, D. G. and C. M. Franz. 2000. Biosphere 2000... Protecting our Global Environment, Third Edition. Duburque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt.

Lambeck , R. J. 1999. Landscape planning for biodiversity conservation in agricultural regions: A case study from the Wheatbelt of Western Australia: 2.5 Strategic enhancement: using focal species to define landscape requirements for nature conservation. http://www.environment.gov.au/archive/biodiversity/publications/technical/landscape/chapter2b.html (accessed February 6, 2014).

Miller, G. T. and S. E. Spoolman. 2012. Living in the Environment, 17^th Edition. Canada: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.

Moffat, M. n.d. What are Opportunity Costs? http://economics.about.com/od/opportunitycosts/f/opportunitycost.htm (accessed February 6, 2014).

Mooallem, J. 2013. Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America. New York: The Penguin Press.

O’Neill, G. 1999. Renaissance on Lanark. http://www.birdlife.org.au/documents/OTHPUB-Lanark.pdf (accessed February 7, 2014).

Verissimo, D. 2011. What makes a flagship species? A case study on the birds of Seychelles. Saarbrüucken, Germany: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.

Figure References

Amok Island. n.d. Forest Legacy Poster. http://www.amokisland.com/pages/news/page/6/ (accessed February 7, 2014).

Charley Harper Prints. 2011. Caves Poster. https://www.charleyharperprints.com/shop/caves-poster/ (accessed February 7, 2014).

Charley Harper Prints. 2011. Cincinnati Nature Center Poster (vertical). https://www.charleyharperprints.com/shop/cincinnati-nature-center-poster-vertical/ (accessed February 7, 2014).

Charley Harper Prints. 2011. Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center Poster. https://www.charleyharperprints.com/shop/shaker-lakes-regional-nature-center-poster/ (accessed February 7, 2014).

Forest Legacy. The Last Stand Poster by Mitza Drysdale. http://www.forestlegacy.org.au/ (accessed February 7, 2014).

Friends of Leadbeater's Possum. n.d. their future is in our hands… http://leadbeaters.org.au/ (accessed February 7, 2014).