Pygmy sloths hold great symbolic significance for the people of Escudo de Veraguas.  Preservation of the sloth population is a preservation of culture.  As a flagship species, they are also important because they get people to care about conservation.  Conservation organizations and activists can use pygmy sloths as a basis for protecting land and marine habitats throughout the island, as well as other, lesser-known species threatened there.  Another benefit may be the possibility of ecotourism.  Unenforced regulations on tourism has made the industry destructive (EDGE of Extinction 2017), but if the government is able to change that, tourism for the sloth would be an opportunity to help local people earn an income and to bring in revenue that could be put back into conservation.  In addition, a sloth's fur provides a home to moths and over forty species of microorganisms (bioGraphic 2018).  Among these species are fungi that may have important medical value in the future.  Experiments have shown that the fungi could be helpful in curing parasitic infections and other diseases, including malaria, Chagas' disease, breast cancer, cholera, and salmonella poisoning (The Dodo 2014).  It is not only crucial that we protect the sloth itself, but also that we protect the entire ecosystem that exists in its fur.