The emblems of biodiversity are often the same: across the planet, the giant panda, the Bengal tiger, the elephant or the polar bear often make the headlines, while in Quebec, the cases of the caribou and the right whale are among the most publicized. The phenomenon even has a name: charismatic megafauna.
Considered attractive and popular large animals, charismatic species attract particular public sympathy and are commonly promoted to help secure funding for conservation activities.
If the use of their image effectively allows the collection of the funds necessary for the protection of their natural environments, it nevertheless diverts the attention of species considered less charismatic. Often smaller, less colorful and less known, they are nevertheless just as essential within their ecosystem.
In an article published in the scientific journal PLOS ONEthe researchers wanted to define the species considered to be the most charismatic among “Western audiences”.
We find there, in order: the tiger, the lion, the elephant, the giraffe, the panther, the panda, the cheetah, the polar bear, the wolf, the gorilla, the chimpanzee, the zebra, the hippopotamus, great white shark, crocodile, dolphin, rhinoceros, brown bear, koala and blue whale.
The 20 most charismatic species identified by the researchers give pride of place to large animals (19/20), mammals (18/20) and terrestrial species (17/20).
Just over half are African species, nine of which come from savannah ecosystems. On the other hand, reptiles, amphibians, insects and fish are almost absent from the list.
Invisible and primordial
Beatrix Besner, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UQAM, knows the phenomenon well. The one who specializes in freshwater biodiversity admits herself working with “less attractive” fish species.
“Our species are often less interesting to watch, but the loss of biodiversity in fresh water is faster and even greater than what we see in marine life today,” she laments.
An important but “invisible” example: plankton, those small organisms at the base of the food chain in our water basins. “If they weren’t present, there would be no life in our lakes,” argues Ms.me Besner.
For his part, Dominique Gravel, professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Sherbrooke, points out that the problems affecting less visible species are also more difficult to discern.
“It’s easier to observe a decline or a change associated with a charismatic species close to us, like the roe deer, which increases in abundance. […] For a particular spider that can only be identified by specialists, it will be more difficult to arouse passions and popular commitment,” he says.
However, several “non-charismatic” species are in significant decline. Nearly half of insect species are in rapid decline worldwide, while more than a third of North America’s bird species are critically endangered, for example.
For Beatrix Besner, using the image of charismatic megafauna species can be beneficial, because conserving the ecosystem of a species loved by the public will at the same time protect several other species at risk that also live there. It’s also a way “to approach the world that has no real interest [pour la biodiversité] otherwise “.
However, the professor maintains that it is also necessary to sensitize and educate the public concerning “all the diversity in which a species is found”. In fact, some natural environments do not necessarily have charismatic megafauna to act as ambassadors.
“I think that, in each way, we are going to look for a different world, she remarks. This is often the solution to a big debate. »