As meat eaters, animals that we like to eat (cows, sheep, pigs) we tend to breed and farm to not just eat but encourage the increase of demand for those animals. Whereas protected species gradually diminish in numbers heading towards extinction due to habitat incursion from human development.
Therefore I propose that the best way to protect an endangered animal is to put it on the menu. Now I'm not talking about going out hunting them in the wild. That's just not going to work. What needed is to turn the uncared about endangered creatures of the planet into highly profitable and desired sustenance.
If we look at say turtles in Australia compared with other places in South East Asia we can see how this might work. In Australia most turtles are a protected species due to their dwindling populations. Where as in other parts of South East Asia, turtles are regularly consumed in many places and are in abundance. When supply of is scarce, costs increase and farmers increase production to take advantage of high profit margins. As supply floods the market, demand increases due to the lowering of price.
Now take a look at this panda:
See how meaty it is, just like a juicy cow. You could eat that. I bet it's tender from lounging around all day and should taste great from it's diet of bamboo shoots.
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