If you really love wildlife, forget about red squirrels | James Borrell

We'll get far greater biodiversity for out buck by investing in conservation in developing countries, rather than focusing on high-profile British projects

The furore over Cecil the lion clearly demonstrates that the public are passionate about conserving wildlife - wherever it is. Yet conservation spending in richer nations is still trapped in a parochial "home first" mindset. Given most plants and animals, and particularly endangered species, are found in poorer countries where money goes further, why are we worrying about hedgehogs, red squirrels or wild boar?

Last year 571m of public-sector funding was spent on UK biodiversity. However only 60m was earmarked for international biodiversity, barely 10% of the total budget. From a global perspective, the UK contains only a tiny proportion of the world's biodiversity. In terms of diversity of species, it ranks 89th in the world, and that's despite the country's wildlife being recorded far better than most.

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