The Indicator from Planet Money: "The Cost of Saving a Species"

Date: September 9, 2025
Hosts: Waylon Wong, Darian Woods
Guest: Professor Hugh Possingham, University of Queensland

Episode Overview

This episode explores the urgent and complex questions behind species conservation: How do we decide which species to save, and where do our limited dollars have the most impact? Host Darian Woods and Waylon Wong speak with eminent conservation scientist Hugh Possingham, who advocates for a cost-effective, quantitative approach to maximizing biodiversity. The show also features a feel-good segment about saving the adorable Pinzón tortoise in the Galápagos.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Extinction Crisis and What's at Stake

• Human activity has led to extinction rates now "roughly 100 times the normal rate" (Hugh Possingham, 00:47).
• Beyond the ethical case, losing species can mean lost opportunities for breakthroughs (e.g., Ozempic drug development inspired by Gila monster venom) (00:30).

Traditional Conservation Biases: Cute and Critically Endangered

• Conservation funding often flows to the most threatened and most charismatic species—even when saving them is very difficult and resource-intensive (02:33, 02:54).
• Hugh’s realization: “Some of these species are really expensive to save... Maybe almost impossible to save. So there’s two other factors other than how likely a species is to go extinct: cost and probability of success.” (Hugh Possingham, 02:54)

Quantitative Framework: Maximizing Biodiversity Per Dollar

• Possingham advocates for decision-making based on:
  • Likelihood of extinction
  • Cost of intervention
  • Probability of success (03:14)
• This approach challenges emotional responses: “Do you want to save this one bird or mammal or do you want to save 50 species of plant which may not be currently as threatened, but much cheaper to save?” (Hugh Possingham, 03:40)
• Governments often underfund the majority of at-risk species: “The federal government only funds 110 of the 2000 listed species.” (Hugh Possingham, 04:10)

Where and How to Get the Best Conservation ‘Value’

• “In the supermarket of species there is a real bargain. Local plants.” (Hugh Possingham, 05:04)
  • Example: Saving a threatened plant can cost just $20,000 with community effort.
• Most biodiversity is concentrated in the tropics, especially on islands with high numbers of endemic species (05:31–05:49).
• “If I were to invest a dollar of my own money, I would look in Indonesia and Madagascar, tropical island nations.” (Hugh Possingham, 06:09)

Conservation Techniques: What Works Best

• Many standard approaches exist: captive breeding, habitat protection, anti-poaching patrols (06:41–07:02).
• Possingham is skeptical of captive breeding because it is extremely expensive and helps few other species:
  • “The cost [of the condor captive breeding program] was tens, if close to $100 million... but it doesn't help many other things.” (Hugh Possingham, 07:02)
• Preserving land/habitat protection has multiplier effects—protects whole ecosystems (07:27):
  • Example: India’s rising tiger numbers due to habitat protection, helping many species.
• On islands, removing invasive predators (e.g., rats, pigs, cats) is highly cost-effective—provided local community support is ensured (07:50, 08:10).

Case Study: Galápagos Pinzón Tortoise

• Charity Island Conservation followed Possingham’s playbook: focus on tropical islands, address invasive species.
• The Pinzón tortoise suffered 150+ years without new hatchlings due to invasive rats (08:38).
• Solution: Poisoned rat bait deployed with community support; within 1–2 years, successful hatchlings returned (08:53).
  • “[After intervention], you’re seeing hatchlings that are successfully growing up on the island again.” (Waylon Wong, 09:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We are in a mass extinction and the rate at which species are going extinct is roughly 100 times the normal rate.”
  — Hugh Possingham [00:47]

• “This was kind of an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach. A lot of the money was also flowing to cute animals, and that's pretty typical in conservation.”
  — Darian Woods [02:45]

• “Cost and probability of success. You'll notice cuteness not on the list.”
  — Waylon Wong [03:14]

• “Some of these species are really expensive to save... So there’s two other factors... One is cost and one is probability of success.”
  — Hugh Possingham [02:54]

• “In the supermarket of species there is a real bargain. Local plants.”
  — Hugh Possingham [05:04]

• “If I were to invest a dollar of my own money, I would look in Indonesia and Madagascar, tropical island nations.”
  — Hugh Possingham [06:09]

• “The cost [of the condor captive breeding program] was tens, if close to $100 million probably over the last 30 or 40 years... but it doesn't help many other things. Captive breeding.”
  — Hugh Possingham [07:02]

• “When you protect jungles and grasslands, not just the target species, but all the other life in that habitat too.”
  — Waylon Wong [07:40]

• “It was like a retirement village for tortoises.”
  — Darian Woods, on tortoises unable to breed before rat eradication [08:53]

• “I know we're not supposed to be just focused on what's cute, but these are so cute.”
  — Waylon Wong [09:34]

• “If we are maximizing our adorableness per dollar, I think that is money well spent.”
  — Darian Woods [09:44]

Key Timestamps

• 00:11 – Opening: Recent extinctions and what’s at stake
• 00:47 – Mass extinction rates explained by Hugh Possingham
• 02:33 – How conservation money has traditionally been spent
• 03:14 – The concept of cost and probability of success
• 03:40 – “Trolley problem” of conservation: one bird vs. 50 plants?
• 05:04 – Bargain: Saving local plants
• 06:09 – Where every dollar goes farthest: tropical islands
• 07:02 – Questioning captive breeding, highlighting habitat protection
• 08:10 – Importance of local community buy-in
• 08:38 – Galápagos tortoise case study: problem and solution
• 09:19 – Tortoise hatchlings return and hosts react to video

Takeaways & Actionable Insights

• Conservation dollars stretch farthest by factoring in cost, likelihood of success, and broad ecosystem impact.
• Tropical islands are biodiversity hotspots and high-impact targets for investment.
• Prioritize habitat protection and predator removal over expensive species-specific breeding programs.
• Supporting local communities is vital for long-term conservation success.
• Sometimes, cost-effectiveness has the delightful side effect of saving especially adorable species.

For more conservation stories and adorable tortoise videos, visit Planet Money’s Instagram.