Economic Reasons for Conserving Wild Nature

Andrew Balmford; Aaron Bruner; Philip Cooper; Robert Costanza; Stephen Farber; Rhys E. Green; Martin Jenkins; Paul Jefferiss; Valma Jessamy; Joah Madden; Kat Munro; Norman Myers; Shahid Naeem; Jouni Paavola; Matthew Rayment; Sergio Rosendo; Joan Roughgarden; Kate Trumper; R. Kerry Turner

doi:10.1126/science.1073947

Review

Economic Reasons for Conserving Wild Nature

Andrew Balmford1,*,
Aaron Bruner2,
Philip Cooper3,
Robert Costanza4,†,
Stephen Farber5,
Rhys E. Green1,6,
Martin Jenkins7,
Paul Jefferiss6,
Valma Jessamy3,
Joah Madden1,
Kat Munro1,
Norman Myers8,
Shahid Naeem9,
Jouni Paavola3,
Matthew Rayment6,
Sergio Rosendo3,
Joan Roughgarden10,
Kate Trumper1,
R. Kerry Turner3

¹ Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
² Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International, 1919 M Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
³ Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
⁴ Center for Environmental Science, Biology Department and Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Maryland, Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA.
⁵ Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
⁶ The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
⁷ UN Environment Programme–World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, UK.
⁸ Green College, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HG, UK; and Upper Meadow, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 8SZ, UK.
⁹ Department of Zoology, University of Washington, 24 Kincaid Hall, Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195–1800, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

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Science 09 Aug 2002:
Vol. 297, Issue 5583, pp. 950-953
DOI: 10.1126/science.1073947

Andrew Balmford

1 Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

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Aaron Bruner

2 Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International, 1919 M Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, USA.

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Philip Cooper

3 Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

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Robert Costanza

4 Center for Environmental Science, Biology Department and Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Maryland, Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA.

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Stephen Farber

5 Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.

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Rhys E. Green

1 Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

6 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.

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Martin Jenkins

7 UN Environment Programme–World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, UK.

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Paul Jefferiss

6 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.

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Valma Jessamy

3 Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

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Joah Madden

1 Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

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Kat Munro

1 Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

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Norman Myers

8 Green College, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HG, UK; and Upper Meadow, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 8SZ, UK.

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Shahid Naeem

9 Department of Zoology, University of Washington, 24 Kincaid Hall, Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195–1800, USA.

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Jouni Paavola

3 Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

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Matthew Rayment

6 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.

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Sergio Rosendo

3 Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

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Joan Roughgarden

10 Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

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Kate Trumper

1 Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

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R. Kerry Turner

3 Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

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Abstract

On the eve of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, it is timely to assess progress over the 10 years since its predecessor in Rio de Janeiro. Loss and degradation of remaining natural habitats has continued largely unabated. However, evidence has been accumulating that such systems generate marked economic benefits, which the available data suggest exceed those obtained from continued habitat conversion. We estimate that the overall benefit:cost ratio of an effective global program for the conservation of remaining wild nature is at least 100:1.

↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: a.balmford{at}zoo.cam.ac.uk
↵† Address after Sept. 2002: Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.

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Economic Reasons for Conserving Wild Nature

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