Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction
- 1 Do we really care about biodiversity?
- Part I Causes of biodiversity loss
- Part II The value of biodiversity
- Part III Policies for biodiversity conservation
- Part IV Managing agro-biodiversity: causes, values and policies
- Index
- References
1 - Do we really care about biodiversity?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction
- 1 Do we really care about biodiversity?
- Part I Causes of biodiversity loss
- Part II The value of biodiversity
- Part III Policies for biodiversity conservation
- Part IV Managing agro-biodiversity: causes, values and policies
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction: the issue
The world community is allegedly very concerned about the fate of the world's biological diversity. Evidence for this concern arises from the ratification of various international treaties on biodiversity conservation. Among these are the truly global treaties: the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling 1946; the International Convention for the Protection of Birds 1950; the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the ‘Ramsar Convention’) 1971; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) 1973; the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 1979; and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992. Details of all these conventions and the various regional treaties can be found in Sands et al. (1994). Equally relevant treaties affecting biodiversity less directly are the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) 1992 and its first Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997; and the Convention to Combat Desertification 1994. Barrett (2003) lists over 300 international conventions relating to the environment in one form or another. Barrett states that only one treaty ‘offers a comprehensive approach to biodiversity conservation. This is the Biodiversity Convention’ (Barrett 2003, p. 350).
But just how serious is the world in respect of biodiversity conservation? We argue that the only true indicators of concern must relate to action taken. Rhetoric about the fate of the world's environments is politically cheap unless the electorate calls the politician to account.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Biodiversity EconomicsPrinciples, Methods and Applications, pp. 22 - 54Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007
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