Example: Giant Pandas

An interesting finding relating to this issue is the fact that panda conservation may not be beneficial to the rest of the ecosystem, contradicting the idea of pandas as an umbrella species.

In a recently published study by Li, et. al. (2020), it was discovered that since the 1960s, ranges of large carnivores such as the leopard, snow leopard, wolf and dhole have retreated significantly in giant panda protected areas, even to the extent of functional extinction within these areas for the dhole. 

This suggests that focusing conservation efforts heavily on charismatic fauna is insufficient and may not be beneficial for the entirety of the ecosystem, due to the highly complex nature of these systems. 

“These findings shake the foundations of one of conservation’s most enduring ideas – that investing time and money into protecting particular large, influential species can pay dividends for the other species and habitats they coexist with. In the aftermath of that revelation, what do we really know about how to protect ecosystems and save wildlife from extinction?”

— Jason Gilchrist