Is resident fauna underappreciated? A systematic approach to identify sandy beach flagship species

Intense human pressure in coastal areas is challenging the conservation of sandy beach biodiversity. In fact, beaches are regarded by society mainly for their tourism and recreational values, while biodiversity is theoretically underappreciated. The present study aimed to evaluate the level of preference of people for various species, including sandy beach resident macroinvertebrates and transitory vertebrates. It is believed that species with the highest preference by people have the highest potential to be used as flagships in the beaches of southeastern Brazil. After seeing high-resolution photographs of 10 species, participants ranked their three preferred species (most preferred = 3, second most preferred = 2; and third most preferred = 1), and their three least preferred ones (least preferred = -3, second least preferred = -2; and third least preferred = -1). A flagship value of the species was calculated (each interviewee as sampling unit) based on this ranking and was compared using ANOVA. Sea turtles and dolphins had the highest preference, while tiger-beetles and sandhoppers were the least preferred species. Ghost crabs were the resident species with the highest flagship value. Our results corroborate the so far not tested idea that beach macrofauna is underappreciated. Animals with the largest body sizes and the shortest evolution divergence time in relation to humans presented the highest "charisma". However, some macroinvertebrates as ghost crabs seemed to have the potential for being prioritized in popularization activities, with the objective to increase popular engagement for biodiversity conservation in specific actions for sandy beaches.