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Why biodiversity surveys are good value

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Listed:
  • Andrew Balmford

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Kevin J. Gaston

    (University of Sheffield)

Abstract

Article 8 of the Convention on Biological Diversity obliges contracting parties to establish protected areas for conservation. This can be achieved in smaller networks of reserves if their design is based on how well different sites complement one another biologically, rather than on more commonly used criteria, such as species richness or simple availability for acquisition1,2. However, this increase in efficiency3 requires species lists for each candidate site, and obtaining such data can be expensive; for example, a detailed survey of five taxa across 15,000 km2 of forest in Uganda took nearly 100 person-years and cost about US$1 million4,5. Here we ask whether investing in such surveys makes economic sense, or whether conservation agencies would be better advised to continue following more traditional reserve selection procedures, at the cost of having to conserve larger reserve networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Balmford & Kevin J. Gaston, 1999. "Why biodiversity surveys are good value," Nature, Nature, vol. 398(6724), pages 204-205, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:398:y:1999:i:6724:d:10.1038_18339
    DOI: 10.1038/18339
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    Cited by:

    1. Juutinen, Artti & Monkkonen, Mikko, 2004. "Testing alternative indicators for biodiversity conservation in old-growth boreal forests: ecology and economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1-2), pages 35-48, September.
    2. Targetti, Stefano & Viaggi, Davide & Cuming, David & Sarthou, J.P. & Choisis, J.P., "undated". "Assessing the costs of measuring biodiversity: methodological and empirical issues," 120th Seminar, September 2-4, 2010, Chania, Crete 109414, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Diego Juffe-Bignoli & Thomas M Brooks & Stuart H M Butchart & Richard B Jenkins & Kaia Boe & Michael Hoffmann & Ariadne Angulo & Steve Bachman & Monika Böhm & Neil Brummitt & Kent E Carpenter & Pat J , 2016. "Assessing the Cost of Global Biodiversity and Conservation Knowledge," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(8), pages 1-22, August.
    4. Jacob R. Fooks & Kent D. Messer & Maik Kecinski, 2018. "A Cautionary Note on the Use of Benefit Metrics for Cost-Effective Conservation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 71(4), pages 985-999, December.
    5. Perhans, Karin & Glöde, Dan & Gilbertsson, Jessica & Persson, Anette & Gustafsson, Lena, 2011. "Fine-scale conservation planning outside of reserves: Cost-effective selection of retention patches at final harvest," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(4), pages 771-777, February.

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