A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal
A unifying theoretical framework for conservation flagships
Authors: Jarić, Ivan; Crowley, Sarah L.; Jeschke, Jonathan M.; Arbieu, Ugo; de Oliveira Caetano, Gabriel Henrique; Correia, Ricardo A.; Kamdar, Arjun; Ladle, Richard J.; Mammola, Stefano; Roll, Uri; Veríssimo, Diogo
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Biological Conservation
Journal name in source: Biological Conservation
Article number: 111199
Volume: 308
ISSN: 0006-3207
eISSN: 1873-2917
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111199
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111199
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/498660271
Conservation flagships are an effective approach to mobilize support for conservation. The flagship concept has recently been expanded beyond species, to include also fleets, protected areas, ecosystems, individuals, and events. Here, we present a unifying framework of flagship categories and their use, provide a roadmap for flagship selection, and give recommendations for their use in conservation practice. We also propose the flexible encompassing term ‘flagship entity’, broadly defined as a unique and recognizable entity that can be easily communicated for conservation purposes. Flagship entities are characterized by their biological and ecological organization level, temporal state, geographical reach, current level of use, and effectiveness. Flagship selection should be driven by sound knowledge and a clear understanding of the target audience’s conscious and subconscious preferences and its intended use. Further work is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of various flagship categories and concepts, and the positive and negative economic outcomes of flagship strategies.
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Funding information in the publication:
IJ acknowledges support by grant no. 23-07278S from the Czech Science Foundation. SM acknowledges support of NBFC, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, P.N.R.R., Missione 4, Componente 2, “Dalla ricerca all’impresa”, Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033. RAC acknowledges support from the Research Council of Finland (Grant agreement #348352) and the KONE Foundation (Grant agreement #202101976). UR acknowledges support from the Israeli Science Foundation (#611/23).
