Urban Flagship Umbrella Species and Slender Lorises as an Example for Urban Conservation

Abstract

Abstract Proxy or surrogate species have been used to promote conservation around the world. For instance, the World Wildlife Fund uses pandas as a charismatic flagship species to foster support for conservation under the premise that panda conservation will act as an umbrella to protect habitat for other species. Although successfully implemented in nonurban areas, proxy species are seldom used in urban conservation. This work demonstrates the use of proxy or surrogate species in urban conservation by reviewing the successes and failures of the Urban Slender Loris Project (USLP) in Bengaluru, India. The slender loris is an imperiled small nocturnal arboreal primate endemic to peninsular India. Loris populations have declined due to habitat destruction and consumption. Although known to prefer forested areas with a continuous canopy away from humans, this elusive species has also been—surprisingly—found throughout multiple Indian megacities. The USLP is a unique community-based project that conducts participatory science to document urban lorises and habitat. Further, the USLP uses the slender lorises as “charismatic mini-fauna” to garner support for urban biodiversity in Bengaluru. This work documents how the slender loris has been used to halt problematic development and protect important urban habitat. It also provides cases in which protection has failed. Further, it underscores the challenges of integrating diversity and equity in surrogate species projects like this but provides lessons learned for advancing equity. The USLP provides a tangible example of using a charismatic, threatened urban species as a surrogate for broader urban biodiversity conservation initiatives in a complex social-ecological system.