The title might seem like clickbait, but really, it isn’t. 

If this were any other platform, you might have already started typing hateful comments about me that are even longer than this essay (I would like to thank the VoiceBox team from the bottom of my heart for not having a comment section).

But for a second, let’s imagine there was a comment section. I imagine you would be typing something along the lines of: You're so insensitive, don’t you know Pandas are one of the most endangered species in the world, and to preserve biodiversity, we have to take care of them. Give or take, this is what you would be saying.

And I am here to put my foot down and say you are…right. But also wrong. You are kind of wrong about Pandas being an endangered species because now they are classified as a ‘vulnerable’ species, meaning there is less of a danger of them going extinct. Also, there is a bit of a problem with preserving them for the sake of biodiversity. 

For that, we need to know what biodiversity really means. Oxford dictionary defines it as: ‘​the existence of a large number of different kinds of animals and plants which make a balanced environment.’ So to be clear, there are two parts of the definition. 1) Preserving the variety of species, and 2) so that they make a balanced environment/ecosystem. 

I, in my humble opinion, seem to think the preservation of pandas fails to qualify for the second half of the definition. Why is that? Well, because Pandas don’t really seem to have a super meaningful role in keeping the ecosystem in balance compared to other species. Don’t believe me? Let’s have a comparison, then shall we?

I’ve picked Bees because you might remember something about them from your biology class. Bees play a crucial role in pollination, the process that helps plants reproduce. These plants provide food for humans and many animals, which in turn feed us, so bees indirectly support a huge part of our food chain. Pollination is responsible for 75% of the global crop supply, and bees are one of the best pollinators we have. So, in this way, bees actually provide us with food in two distinct ways. 

Now, what about Pandas? They just chew bamboo all day…and that’s it really. Yeah, they do play a role in their respective ecosystem. They help grow fresh bamboo as they disperse seeds in their droppings, and the seeds can also get stuck in their fur and then get deposited in other areas, leading to more growth of bamboos. So, they do have a role, and it may even be meaningful, but is it more meaningful than providing the wide majority of our food, like bees do? I don’t think so. I think Pandas are kind of like the clumsy relative who occasionally helps but mostly just shows up for the snacks.

So, to hell with Pandas, right? 

Nah, man, they’re pretty cute...so that’s where I have to come clean. The title was clickbait.

The complete title would be: Stop caring that much about Pandas and start caring more about other animals, but that wouldn’t have made you click on this, would it? 

So, if you’ve read this far, let me be straight with you. Pandas aren’t the most useful organisms for the ecosystem; the world could keep turning with or without them, but I don’t think they should go extinct. Pandas are considered an “umbrella species”, protecting them and their bamboo forest homes also shelters many other animals and plants living in the same habitat. So, saving pandas isn’t just about pandas; it’s about keeping a bigger ecosystem intact. Also, there is just something so inexplicably sad about a whole species going extinct just because of humanity's greed. Therefore, I am proud that we’ve gotten Pandas off the endangered species list after decades of strenuous efforts. Kudos to Humanity.

With that being said, I think now is high time to start saving other vulnerable species that may be less cute but are more meaningful for maintaining the equilibrium of ecosystems, like bees, vultures, earthworms etc. And that means taking our eyes off those clumsy bears falling from trees like blubbering fools. Yeah, it's pretty hard to do that when they're so cute, but if we want to do better for biodiversity, we really need to start looking beyond them.