Save This Species
“Save This Species,” The Revelator’s ongoing feature formerly known as “Species Spotlight,” highlights interesting and important endangered species around the world — along with the personal experiences of the people working to understand or protect these species.
We invite you to contribute. Below you’ll find a template of the format we’ll use for this series. Most of this is simple, but there are a few spots where you can share something more personal, based on your history with the species or your related expertise. You can read some published examples here.
We accept submissions for “Save This Species” on an ongoing, rolling basis. They’ll be published under a Creative Commons license, allowing our reprint partners around the world to republish them. Send your submissions to editor John R. Platt at jplatt@therevelator.org.
[Headline:] Save This Species: [Species Name]
(This can be just the name, or the name and a few descriptive words, like “Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo — an Elusive, Arboreal Marsupial” or “Wollemi Pine, a ‘Living Fossil’ We’re Saving From Extinction”
[Subhead/teaser:] (One sentence that works in conjunction with the headline to grab the reader. Usually this will be something interesting about the species or the threat(s) it faces.)
By (byline – however you would like your name to appear)
[Photo caption/credit:] (We’re able to find photos for many species; if you provide one of your own, it should be something that will work in a 1920×1080 horizontal format.)
Species name: (Common name and taxonomic name)
IUCN Red List status: (This can just be a status such as “Endangered,” since we get to the actual risks below. Of course, if they’re not on the Red List we can include any state/nation designations, or a recommendation of how it should be listed.)
Description: (1-3 sentences about the physical nature of this species, such as their size, color, etc. — or anything else unique or noteworthy.)
Where they’re found: (This can be as simple as the range nations or something more descriptive, like “The high-altitude forests of…”)
Why they’re at risk: (This can be just a simple list, like “Deforestation, climate change.” Or you can go into as much detail as you’d like.)
Who’s trying to save them: (Notable conservation program(s) or legal protections — if any exist, of course.)
My favorite experience / How I’m helping this species / Why I advocate for this species: (The exact phrasing of this category can change to anything appropriate, but the intent of this section is to convey your personal experience with this species. You could describe what they mean to you, talk about your efforts to protect or advocate for them, recount an experience of seeing one or a group of them in the wild, the pain of finding a population has been extirpated, or a related real-world moment. Feel free to tap into the emotions or difficulty of the experience.)
What else do we need to understand or do to protect this species? (Optional; share your expertise about what efforts should come next. Do we need certain scientific information to learn how to conserve them? Do they need legal or trade protection? Does a threat need mitigation? Does a habitat need saving?)
What you can do to help: (Optional; there might not be a direct way people can help a species, but readers will appreciate any suggestions. Please note: we can’t include any fundraising calls.)
[Author bio:] (A brief, 1-3 sentence biography, starting with your name. Please also send a headshot to accompany the bio, which needs to work in a square format. We can include a web and/or social-media link as well.)