If you love the golden-black stripes of the regal tiger, you will also appreciate the iridescent feathers, sparkly eyes, swishing tails, and melodious whistles that dot our forests. And so, during National Wildlife Week, I urge you to celebrate and cherish the diversity beyond our national animal.

The tiger is an umbrella or flagship species. They usually have large territories and disperse widely when looking for new territories and mates. The tiger also requires healthy prey populations and suitable habitats that can support these populations. As a consequence, the conservation of tigers leads to the protection of large tracts of forests and the conservation of their prey species and co-predators. This perspective has enabled wildlife recovery across a wide range of landscapes. But the diversity of our country's landscapes demands a diversity of perspectives.

Wolves, bustards, floricans, blackbucks, and wild asses are flagships for their respective grassland habitats. Lion-tailed macaques, clouded leopards, and great hornbills are indicators of the dense tropical forests of the Western Ghats and Northeast India. Snow leopards, of course, are the apex predators of the Trans-Himalayas. Elephants, woodpeckers, fiddler crabs, and dung beetles, wherever they are present, act as ecosystem engineers, sustaining the landscapes. Even in the tiger heartlands of central India, there are gaur, barasingha, vultures, and flying squirrels that can serve as flagships for the dry deciduous forests.

The rarity and endemism of the species, along with the conservation threats they face, also require consideration. The IUCN Red List, which identifies species threatened with extinction, lists over 900 animal and 600 plant species in India that are endangered. We also have thousands of endemic species in our biodiversity hotspots, including the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, the Northeast, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. These are species found within their often small, native habitats and nowhere else on Earth, and need urgent conservation attention.

We must also protect what's valuable and meaningful to the people. There is significant reliance on species that pollinate crops, control pests, improve nutrition, and form part of traditional medicines. For tribal communities, many species are sacred and vital to their cultural lives. Throughout India, many tribes identify with totemic species that are connected to their myths and tribal identities. Focusing on such species of animals and plants can help ensure continued community support for conservation and coexistence.

So, what we must cherish and prioritise for conservation is not as straightforward as choosing the most iconic, charismatic, or even largest of species. We need to adopt a broader perspective, considering multiple factors, including local geography and ecosystems. And this requires a three-pronged approach.

While the tiger remains of conservation significance across the country, at the state level, we need a greater political and policy push for the conservation of other species. There is already momentum in this direction. In Assam, the rhinoceros is the state's pride, and its conservation has always received political support. In 2023, Tamil Nadu launched Project Nilgiri Tahr for the conservation of the flagship mountain ungulate of the Shola grasslands. The same year, Uttar Pradesh launched an initiative to conserve the Gangetic dolphins. Beyond such state-level efforts, every protected area in the country needs to prioritise species that are unique and flagship for the habitat for conservation. Tiger reserves can certainly make more space for the conservation of other species within the Tiger Conservation Plans.

Funding needs to change, too. In addition to the government funds allocated for conservation, new funding, especially from private philanthropies, can prioritise players and actions that consider diverse views and contexts. Funding opportunities that target lesser-known species and regions are already on the rise.

Arguably, the future of conservation lies in providing more funding to grassroots actors who can tailor their conservation approaches to local ecological, political, and social contexts.

And finally, we nature-lovers need to do our bit, too. We can start by choosing less-travelled destinations for our wildlife trips. There is no reason the cuteness of the red panda or slender loris, and the shimmer of a Himalayan monal or Nicobar pigeon, should be any less mesmerising than the royalty of the tiger. While on a safari, instead of just chasing tigers, we can spend our time with the raptors or a pack of dholes. Taking a fancy for birds or getting obsessed with reptiles will ensure there's no dull moment in a forest. And, we'll be putting our money and attention where it's most needed.