Trade–offs in Conservation: Deciding What to Save

Trade–offs are very commonly made in conservation. Inevitably, conservation action involves choices, between the populations of different species and the states of various ecosystems, between preservation and transformation by economic forces, between the needs of people and those of other species, between the interests of some people over others. However, conservationists are often slow to recognize trade–offs, and reluctant to draw attention to them or see them widely discussed. Does this matter? The answer to that question depends on what biodiversity is lost because of the trade–offs that conservationists make. This book aims to show that trade–offs can be very important indeed for conservationists. Its various chapters show how and why trade–offs are made, and why conservationists need to think very hard about what, if anything, to do about them. The book argues that conservationists must carefully weigh up, and be explicit about, the trade–offs that they make every day in deciding what to save. This volume will be of interest to policy–makers, researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students who are concerned about making decisions that include recognition of trade–offs in conservation planning.