Probably the most important trend in conservation science at the moment is ‘ecosystem services’, typically seen as economic benefits provided by natural ecosystems. They form the basis of most market-oriented mechanisms for conservation. The underlying assumption is that if scientists can identify ecosystem services, quantify their economic value, and ultimately bring conservation more in synchrony with market ideologies2, then the decisionmakers will recognize the folly of environmental destruction and work to safeguard nature. But market-based mechanisms for conservation are not a panacea for our current conservation ills...
Douglas J. McCauley.
Original article (Nature) attached below.
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