Clue: choose cute over creepy crawlie and the world is doomed
By Rob Edwards, Environment Editor

They can survive in outer space, go 10 years without water and resist lethal doses of radiation. But hardly anyone has heard of them, and no-one is campaigning to save them. Tardigrades, which look like microscopic, eight-legged bears, are among the planet's most amazing animals. There are more than 1000 different species in every environment on Earth, including high mountains, deep oceans, the tropics and the poles.

But unlike whales, elephants, pandas and polar bears, tardigrades have not caught the public imagination. Neither have mushrooms, microbes, earthworms or woodlice. And that, say the UK government's wildlife advisers, is a problem.

By concentrating on protecting a limited number of popular animals, we may be missing the bigger picture, they say. Worse, we could be failing to prevent environmental disaster.

"Why do we spend so much time and effort on so-called charismatic species when those on which the Earth's future depends are neglected?" asked Dr Peter Bridgewater, the chairman of the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

"We naturally focus on cute and cuddly beasts, or really colourful flowers, but forget the vast mass of species, which either are very small, or don't seem very appealing. Yet these are the ones which drive our ecosystems, and produce the services we need from nature to survive, like purifying water, storing carbon and cycling nutrients."

He accused campaigners of ignoring the lesser-known species. "I am waiting to see a non-government organisation put the case for saving the tardigrades, and organise street protests to highlight their plight as they are buried under tonnes of concrete in the ever-spreading development of cities and towns," he said.

Bridgewater, a leading international conservationist, is calling for a major shake-up in the way governments seek to protect wildlife. "We need a triage approach to species conservation," he argued. "Saving the man overboard while the ship sinks under you is not a viable long-term strategy."

Very little was known about the importance of uncharismatic species such as fungi, worms, woodlice and microbes, he said. "We don't know how much biodiversity we need and so argue that every species is needed, but that can't be true since we know we have already lost some."

Bridgewater made his call at a major conference on species management organised by the government conservation agency, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), in Edinburgh last week. Other speakers urged policymakers to adopt a more co-ordinated approach to protecting Scotland's 31 native land mammals.

Martin Gaywood, SNH's species manager, highlighted the varied threats being faced. Mountain hares were at risk from unregulated and unsustainable exploitation, while wildcats were disappearing as they bred with domestic cats.

Bats were suffering as their habitat was being damaged by "inappropriate countryside management", he said.

Simon Milne, the chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: "We are all guilty to some extent of being attracted to charismatic and highly engaging species, and of course public opinion is often slanted in favour of action to defend and protect them.

"While the Scottish Wildlife Trust recognises that single species management has an important place in wildlife conservation, it is just one tool in a whole range of biodiversity conservation techniques we can employ to tackle the decline in native species and habitats."

The trust's work on saving the narrow-headed ant or a plant called the small cow-wheat would not make front-page news, he pointed out. "Yet protecting red squirrels attracts greater media awareness, and offers the potential to get more people involved in our work," he said.

"But in reality, our efforts will be influenced by socio-economic issues and public and political support, as well as the vulnerability of individual species or habitats."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature in Switzerland revealed that 1141 of the 5587 mammals are thought to be threatened with extinction.