Biodiversity conservation as a driver of development in the populous tropics

One of the central questions in conservation biology today is how biodiversity conservation policies and processes relate to economic development. Both conservation and development are acutely necessary, and yet they often seem to be in direct conflict. This is particularly the case in developing tropical nations with large and growing human populations. Seven projects examined interfaces between conservation and development from ecological, economic, institutional and sociological points of view. Conclusions, based on theoretical and empirical grounds, are 1) the majority of biodiversity conservation programs seek to protect biodiversity and bio-resources by limiting or regulating human consumptive uses 2) these approaches are highly context-dependent, and outcomes are sensitive to changing circumstances 3) they thus depend crucially on their ability to continuously motivate individuals and groups to ignore or sublimate their own short-term interests in favor of the public interest and 4) this stance provides a weak basis for the long-term effectiveness of conservation programs. Alternatives or complements to consumption-regulating programs consist of programs that seek to create robust incentive structures for the protection and production of biodiversity, habitats and other ecosystem services. In most developing countries, such programs do exist and are becoming increasingly important as ecosystem services are eroded, but they tend to be administratively weak, fragmented and underfunded. Rather than remaining at best uneasily compatible with economic development, biodiversity conservation can thus become a driver of positive economic development.