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Selling out on nature

Nature volume 443, pages 27–28 (2006)Cite this article

With scant evidence that market-based conservation works, argues Douglas J. McCauley, the time is ripe for returning to the protection of nature for nature's sake.

Probably the most important trend in conservation science at the moment is 'ecosystem services', typically seen as economic benefits provided by natural ecosystems1. 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 decision-makers will recognize the folly of environmental destruction and work to safeguard nature.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, California, USA

    Douglas J. McCauley

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  1. Douglas J. McCauley
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McCauley, D. Selling out on nature. Nature 443, 27–28 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/443027a

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