Eye of the Beholder, Part III

In the last two posts, I was discussing the human predisposition to ignore organisms that aren't mammals, or at least aren't vertebrates. I'd like to talk about why, in a very real and practical sense, this bias matters.

The first point is that mammals, as I mentioned before, are a very small evolutionary group. Thus, we cannot learn much about the diversity of life on Earth by studying only mammals.

The second point, and perhaps a more immediate one, relates to conservation practices. The surefire way to get support for an environmental cause is to put up a picture of a dolphin, polar bear, elephant, seal, giraffe, you name it. As long as it's a mammal, it is worth saving. The problem is that mammals--especially the larger mammals that are going extinct at an alarming rate--are suffering due largely to habitat loss. Habitat is the operative word. The habitat that a polar bear lives in is important to the polar bear, but it is also home to countless other animals that don't happen to be furry. How can we even begin to do justice to the idea of saving a polar bear without understanding the needs of the organisms it lives with?

Even people who claim to be pro-animal-rights are often blind to the idea of animal diversity. You will never see a PETA protest decrying the extinction of a dragonfly. But insects, snails, worms, and slugs are all animals. And why stop at animals? Fungi are incredibly important to nutrient cycling in many habitats. We would be in trouble if we didn't have them. So would many cute, fluffy animals. Is anyone worried about how the fungi are doing worldwide? Apart from the small group of people known as mycologists, probably not.

It is frustrating to me that it is so difficult to get people to care about saving something other than mammals. (In fact, I'd be very happy if we could all stop talking about saving species and get on with the business of saving habitats. But that can wait for another post.)

In the meantime, please don't stop being concerned about large mammals. Just remember that in many ways, a campaign to Save the Snails could be at least as important as the one to Save the Whales.