It *is* a problem that charismatic species are often focused on for conservation at the expense of less charismatic but important species, but threatened species that are the subject of a lot of public outreach and education are also typically strategically selected.
I suspect that monarch butterflies are an example of this. Milkweed is a highly valuable plant for pollinators and a host plant for like. 400+ insect species. Getting people to plant it to save monarchs is funny because you’re essentially finessing people into saving a ton of other insects that they wouldn’t ordinarily care about
“Save the bees” isn’t misguided, it’s just the version of the truth you would tell a 5 year old. If a small kid asks about the colors of the rainbow you don’t start explaining that visible light has wavelengths of 400-700 nanometers
A lot of people don’t even know that there are different types of bees. things like planting native flowers, stopping using insecticides, etc, benefit all bees and all insects generally
ALSO
it’s actually a GOOD thing to have lots of conservation efforts focusing on “Charismatic megafauna,” especially apex predators
Because big animals like tigers need a LOT of space
So creating a preserve to save tigers…saves thousands of other species, because the tigers need miles and miles of habitat to live on, and that habitat needs to be healthy to support the tigers
They’re called “umbrella species” and they’re a great thing.
This is exactly why pandas are great for conservation, and whining about them is myopic childish foot-stamping*. An adult panda needs a 2km square range. A viable population needs many of those joined together into a very big protected area. And if you have that, you also have the habitat for hundreds of thousands if not millions of invertebrate species that are never in their wildest dreams going to get that level of protection afforded to them otherwise
*Also pandas don’t stop having intrinsic value just because you personally decide they’re ‘overhyped’ or 'don’t contribute much to the ecosystem’. Ethically, that is a species that deserves to exist regardless of how 'useful’ it is (side note, absolutely FUCK that capitalist bullshit), and also, if humans are why it’s going extinct, it’s on humans to bring it back. And if they aren’t readily breeding in captivity, the question to ask is 'What aren’t we providing in their environment that they need?’**, not the whiny temper tantrum of 'But why won’t they meet us halfway? They won’t help themselves! I am very smart.’
**It’s a tall tree to climb. This is emerging research but it looks like a vital part of panda mate selection is watching a male climb a tree to show off his tree climbing genes. We have not been including these in panda enclosures, so the females have been looking at these males sitting around and going 'Tch. Pathetic.’
Thank you @headspace-hotel and @becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys for reframing this for me in a way that is super positive and encouraging and giving me new information from which to draw better conclusions. I have learned a new way of seeing things today and am very pleased I will be able to offer this perspective to others going forward.
i wonder if korra had always known she was bisexual or if she saw asami one day and thought lmao ok if i was straight at one point i’m not anymore
i have this headcanon that when she was younger and found out katara was married to her in her past life korra would get excited and be all “does that me you’re my wife?” and then if someone was rude to katara young korra would yell something like “don’t talk to my wife like that!” and just basically assume being with women was okay simply because she’s already been with them in past lives
I love seeing the lok fandom on my dash simply for cute shit like this man
the woman in the river shows me an axe of silver and asks if it is the one I lost. I respond that it is. she produces an axe of gold and asks the same question again. I shamefully look away, not sure whether I’m comfortable admitting that I was dual wielding
she stares at me in abject confusion as I take stock of my tools. a look of dissatisfaction brews on her face. “but why is one golden?” the woman asks.
I tug nervously at my coat, feeling the slightest bit insulted. “well, it’s not cheap to have a matching pair,” I tell her. “not everyone can afford two golden axes.”
“why not two silver axes?”
“I had the money for one golden axe.”
the woman crosses her arms. “but the gold is worse for everything you’d want an axe to do.”
“it’s not. it was more expensive and also really hard to find.”
“gold” she says, “is softer than silver.”
“it’s literally not, though,” I say. “that’s a really common misconception, but pure silver is softer than gold.”
“most metal sold as silver is actually an alloy. that axe is probably sterling silver. I don’t believe for a second someone made you a pure silver axe.”
I look at my axe, then back to the woman, then back to my axe.
“it was pure silver when it went into the river.”
an unreadable expression. with a great splash, the woman disappears into the current.
for three days and three nights, I wander along the river’s edge, hoping to find the woman again. I throw rocks, twigs, and once or twice a weird looking animal into the water. it’s all to no avail.
on the final evening, I see a glint at the river’s mouth. I run as quickly as I can, knowing I’ve finally found… oh for fuck’s sake, it’s just silver-plated. I lob the awful thing into the river with a huff.
“how can you tell?” asks the woman, peeking out of the water. “that could be the one you’ve lost.”
“it’s not.”
“but you won’t cut your losses and move on,” she gestures wide, “one axe the richer?”
“that’s too wide of a gesture for a cheap knick knack,” I say, gesturing modestly in some approximation of how much I think the silver-plated axe is worth. the woman seems annoyed.
“I’ve been telling you, you have your real axe. the gold axe is the one that sucks.”
“so what?” I spit. “are you suggesting I just use two cheap silver axes instead of my cool pure silver and gold axes?”
According to Know Your Meme, on August 18th, 2005, Erwin Beekveld brought forth this work into the world. HAPPY TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY, THEY’RE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD.
sheds a single tear
every august 18th my notifications break and i go, fuck, tumblr has failed me once again, but it hasn’t. it hasn’t failed me. it’s just the taking the hobbits to isengard-iversary. happy 12 years
