Back to their roots

Some conservation biologists want to revitalise the idea that species need to be conserved for their own sake and not because they provide services that are useful to us. But John Whitfield suspects it is too late for such an approach.

No one would wish Santa Catarina’s guinea pig any harm. So it will be a boon if the guinea pig’s inclusion on a list of the 100 most endangered species results in permanent protection of the four hectares of Moleques do Sul Island, off the coast of Brazil, where the last 50 of its kind live.