General introduction

Conservation is perhaps one of the most important subjects to understand. Are we devoting too much effort to it, or too little? Future generations will discover the answer, and they will judge us in the way we judge those who wiped out the dodo or fought over diminishing resources on remote islands. Conservation means different things to different people. In this book I aim to show the broad scope of the subject, and the need to be aware of the interlinkage of many disciplines in theory and in practice. The subject includes fields as diverse as biology, philosophy, economics, chemistry, welfare and human rights. Conservation deals with issues that are very urgent – and, as we will see, often very controversial.

It should always be remembered that there are many personal and subjective opinions in conservation, as well as opinions supported by strong scientific consensus. The reader should see any book on conservation as an introduction to the debates, rather than a statement of universally agreed facts and solutions. It is important that people think for themselves about the issues, and decide what they feel are the strongest arguments supported by the best evidence.

This chapter examines the meaning of conservation, and how it has grown as a field. It also asks if we need conservation, and how much biodiversity there is. The second considers the general threats to biodiversity, and the third discusses the way priorities are set.