Economics for the Wilds - Wild Life, Wildlands, Diversity and Development (Paperback)

This book describes the economic approach to the problems of conserving endangered habitats and species. It addresses these issues through a number of chapters on the economics of the main issues concerned (endangered species, sustainable development, sustainable utilization) and a series of case studies which illustrates these concepts. The book assesses the state of theory, knowledge and practice in regard to one of the most important international environmental problems of the coming decades. "Economics for the Wilds" may strike some as a threat: surely the wilds - both species and habitats - should be free of human interference and the cost-benefit analyses of economists if they are to be preserved? Not according to the authors of this book, who argue forcefully and in careful detail that an economics that properly values the resources of the wilds offers the best long-term security for their future. Most of the world's wilds have, in fact, always been utilized by local societies who have managed their resources sustainably, and one important guarantee for their preservation is therefore the continued participation of those communities and an adequate reward to them for their management. The first four chapters of the book look at the questions involved - at the complexity and global nature of the issues, at the application of economics to the wilds and at the policies for their conservation and sustainable management which then result. The following five chapters examine specific forms of utilization of wild species and habitats, both sustainable and unsustainable, and including community based development, tourism, the use of rainforest products, poaching and the impact of conservation on wildlife use. The conclusion argues that a comprehensive utilization strategy for wild resources is needed to ensure their continued existence and the continuing flow of benefits from them. Barbier was contributing author of "Elephants, Economics and Ivory" and Swanson contributed to "Blueprint 2" and "Elephants, Economics and Ivory".