Umbrella species are animals or plants chosen to guide conservation efforts because protecting them helps preserve many other species in their habitat. This is called the umbrella effect. Conservation can be difficult because it is hard to know the exact condition of many species. Umbrella species are often flagship species, which are well-known and help protect other species, or keystone species, which have a major role in keeping an ecosystem healthy. These species help scientists choose where to create nature reserves, decide the smallest size needed for these areas, and understand the makeup, structure, and functions of ecosystems.

Definitions

Two common definitions of an umbrella species are:

• A species that needs many different things, which are also needed by many other species
• A species that needs a large area to live, and protecting it helps protect other species in the same area

Other descriptions include:

• Traditional umbrella species are usually large animals that live in many different places

Some animals are chosen as umbrella species because they are popular. For example, pandas are liked by many people, and protecting them helps raise awareness about saving habitats for all animals.

In land use management

The use of umbrella species as a conservation tool has been widely discussed for 20 years since its introduction. The term "umbrella species" was first used by Bruce Wilcox in 1984. He described an umbrella species as an animal or plant whose needs for living space are at least as large as the needs of other species in the same area that conservation efforts aim to protect.

Some scientists believe using an umbrella species can help manage ecosystems more easily. Others suggest combining umbrella species with other methods may better protect other species in nature reserves than using umbrella species alone. Certain invertebrates, such as insects or snails, can be good umbrella species because they help protect old and unique ecosystems. In some cases, protecting an umbrella species has helped preserve large areas of land, which also benefits other species living nearby.

In a study from 2006, Dunk, Zielinski, and Welsh found that reserves in Northern California, created to protect the northern spotted owl, also helped protect other species like mollusks and salamanders in the same area. They noted that the reserves "serve as a reasonable coarse-filter umbrella species" for these other species.

In 2017, Gilby and other researchers discovered that using threatened species as umbrellas or "surrogates" for conservation goals can improve protection efforts in coastal regions.

Wildlife corridors

The idea of an umbrella species is used to create wildlife corridors by selecting specific species called focal species. Focal species are chosen based on their ability to benefit other species and are grouped into categories that show their potential to support many animals. By selecting these species carefully, connected habitats can be formed through individual corridors. These choices are made with the help of geographic information systems for large areas. No matter where or how conservation efforts take place, the umbrella effect measures how one species influences others. This measurement is a key part of deciding how to approach conservation work.

In the Endangered Species Act (US)

The bay checkerspot butterfly has been on the Endangered Species List since 1987. Launer and Murphy (1994) studied whether this butterfly could act as an umbrella species to help protect its native grassland habitat. They found that the Endangered Species Act has a loophole that excludes federally protected plants on private land. However, the California Environmental Quality Act strengthens state conservation rules. Using the Endangered Species Act to protect umbrella species and their habitats can cause disagreement because these protections are not always enforced as strictly in some states, like California, to help protect all types of wildlife.

Examples

• Northern spotted owls and old-growth forests: Molluscs and salamanders live in the protected areas of the northern spotted owl.
• Bay checkerspot butterfly and grasslands
• Red-cockaded woodpeckers and Southeastern pine grasslands
• Amur tigers in the Russian Far East are umbrella/keystone species because they affect deer and boar populations in their ecosystem
• Right whales
• Sharks
• Giant pandas and mountain ranges in China
• Jaguars and herpetofauna
• Canebrake and other species