Homogenizing Biodiversity

I’ve been delayed in getting this edition of Postcards From The Hedge out there- I had a couple of assignment deadlines to meet for my degree. They’re done now, and I was thinking about what to do. It dawned on me that I haven’t done a species spotlight yet, and that I ought to do one. Initially I was going to talk about species I had photos of so that I can illustrate them. But that led me to an internal rant about my biggest bugbear when it comes to the world of wildlife conservation (well, second biggest if you count the glory-hounds)- the homogenizing of biodiversity. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it is being done deliberately, in fact far from it. Most of it is being done with the finest of intentions and unknowingly or unwittingly, but it is being done.

Now, I don’t want to lecture you, bore you, turn you off, so let’s put on the telly. We can chat while watching some wildlife documentaries. What shall we watch? It doesn’t really matter, does it? We can re-learn the same information about elephants, lions, Cheetahs, zebras, wildebeest and crocodiles if it’s set in Africa, or Jaguars, Scarlet Macaws, squirrel monkeys, and poison dart frogs for South America, and the same can be said for everywhere else as well. When they’re using titles like “Nature’s Icons” or “Wildlife Favourites”, you can’t help feel they’re fully aware that they’re putting out more programming with the same old content, like a band that has several greatest hits albums- you may get one or two tracks different, but it’s still the same fifteen songs every time, just in a different order. There are obvious exceptions, but as a general rule, it’s the same old thing time after time. When you do find a programme that shows species that the general public are generally unaware of, it’s on screen for a minute while it does that interesting thing, and then it’s forgotten about. A friend of mine used to play guitar in a covers band, and he once told me “people don’t know what they like, but they like what they know”. I would assume that is the logic used by the TV execs, but surely there’s a duty to also educate and inform? I would love to see a series dedicated to the unknown and ugly species, or even one that just gives them the same level of importance as the regulars.

Still, at least we managed to find something to put on. We’ve been chatting, and conversation has got around to feeding the birds in your garden. You’ve been getting seed and things in Tesco, but haven’t really been looking into it, and just buy whatever is best value for money. Recently you’ve started to do some research, and you’re all ready with your list of seed and feeder types to start catering for specific garden bird species. What if those species don’t come into your garden? Birdfeeding advice tends to start with a lovely list of garden birds- a phrase that makes zero sense whatsoever. What’s a garden bird exactly? What about a garden is natural? Where in the wild do you see grass coverage like a lawn? If you have a normal-sized lawn, the vast majority of your garden is artificial, no matter how amazing your wildlife area is. That’s not a dig, my garden is the same. Truth is, any bird can be a garden bird. All a garden bird is, is a bird that has visited your garden. I’ve lived in a place near a river. I never saw any finches, sparrows or even tits (except Long-tailed) in that garden. I did however, see Mallards, Moorhens, Coots, Grey Wagtails, and even a Kingfisher. So don’t just follow the advice of a book, or even – dare I say it – the charities. If you’re going to get a book and learn how to do something, get an ID guide and learn what species live in your area. Then find out what is best to feed them. You will still end up catering for the same species as before, but also other species- and they probably need it more- after all, when was the last time you saw someone smearing raw pastry on a tree trunk?

I’m not going to labour the point, but charity campaigns could easily help things too, yet they don’t. How hard would it be to make an ad that says “We’re trying to save this Tiger species, and while we’re at it, this species of Cuscus too”, after all, unsung species are unhelped species, and unhelped species are unsaved species. Homogenized TV and information causes homogenized thinking. Homogenized thinking leads to homogenized charity-advertising because it’s more successful. Homogenized charity-advertising leads to homogenized biodiversity, and also influences the filmmakers and therefore leads to homogenized TV as well, and so the cycle continues.

But it can be changed, the cycle can stop. It’s not even hard. I know zoos are a contentious subject, but they can come into their own here. Most zoos, and certainly all of the major ones, have species that you’ve not heard of. When people ask me about my favourite animals, high on the list is the Binturong. The vast majority of the time, people reply “What’s that?” or look at me like I’m showing off (or both), but it can be seen in quite a few zoos around the country. There are plenty of other examples too, just visit any zoo website and look at the list of what they have. Then share, discuss talk about them. This is more effective if you visit directly, but discussions on their social media pages will also work. Because zoos make money out of it (and for balance, a lot of them put a lot of it into conservation work), they will pick up on an increase in a species popularity- even if it’s just to determine what merchandise to make. So then the charities find out too, and in turn the media. The cycle is slowed, slow it enough and it gets reversed- we’re de-homogenizing, making biodiversity more diverse again.

So, I’ve decided what I’m going to do with my species spotlight. I’m going to use my tiny little corner to highlight rare or unknown species. I’ll take requests too, and if anyone has any photos of unusual or unsung species, and are happy for me to use to illustrate an article (I make no money from the blogs, and even my photography has made a grandiose 23p so far), full credit will be given to the photographer (including copyright) as I’m only interested in doing my admittedly small bit to help the cause. I’ll even go as far as posting your articles for the species spotlight (with full credit and links) if they highlight unsung species. Without help, there's a strong chance that the species spotlights will go out without pictures.

Please share this, and if you know anybody in the worlds of Conservation or wildlife photography, please get them to read this- they may want to contribute.

Spread the love, and good night x