Using 'celebrity' animals to push for conservation doesn't work

Straits Times Forum 6 Feb 12;

DR LEE Wei Ling ('Confessions of an embarrassed omnivore'; Jan 29) offered an intriguing angle to the issue of keeping dolphins in captivity, which has sparked a knee-jerk reaction from netizens.

What has not been considered is the importance of a studied, ecosystem-based approach to conservation.

In any ecosystem, organisms are intertwined in a series of complex interactions. In the marine ecosystem, top predators like whales, dolphins and sharks play an important role as key regulators, keeping in check the population of the animals lower down in the food chain.

Quite coincidentally, these top predators are also the animals that numerous conservation groups have been using to champion their cause.

The focus of local marine conservation efforts, in particular, has been largely skewed towards such 'celebrity' animals.

At a recent local symposium, an expert panel was asked about its views on using these animals to promote conservation. It highlighted that drawing attention to the plight of animals the public can relate to should, ideally, generate interest in the conservation of the entire ecosystem.

In reality, this model may not be working as well as it should.

Marine biologists often find it hard to convince the public about the importance of coral reefs, sea grass and inter-tidal habitats, bearing in mind that these habitats are the foundation on which turtles, dugongs, dolphins and sharks exist.

Taking corals as an example, few Singaporeans know with certainty whether they are animals, plants or rocks, or where they can find coral reefs here.

Conservation should begin with the provision of basic knowledge to educate the public, tapping the expertise of the scientific community and the active collaboration with the relevant government agencies and stakeholders.

Attempts to rush into the conservation of a single, isolated organism without due consideration and understanding of the entire ecosystem can be potentially abrasive and misleading.

Toh Tai Chong