6
The roots of conservation biogeography
of current scientifi c guidance for biodiversity conservation, in our view it has done so as something of
a poor relation – a Cinderella within conservation
biology. We argue that biogeography can now cast
aside its metaphorical rags as it emerges as a subject
area of central importance to conservation planning.
In part, this repositioning of biogeography is the result
applying island theory to the problem of habitat
fragmentation (e.g. Diamond, 1975a ) and Dasmann ’ s
(1972) biogeographical regionalization approach to
designing networks of protected areas (see Chapters 8
and 5 , respectively).
Although biogeographical science has played its part
alongside other sub - fi elds of biology in the emergence
Box 1.1 General c haracteristics of t hree b road t hemes and p hases of
the c onservation m ovement
The modern conservation movement can trace its roots back to various societies, clubs and social
movements that formed in the late 19th century in response to a variety of changes in society and
the natural world (reviewed in Chapter 2 ; and in Jepson & Ladle, 2010 ). Two themes were particularly
prominent:
1 Wildlife conservation, in the sense of ‘ [t]he controlled use and systematic protection of indigenous fauna ’ . (Matthews et al. , 2001 ) This part of the early conservation movement was rooted in
the natural history and hunting pastimes of elite society of the 19th century and is exemplifi ed by
the creation of the Boone and Crockett club (B & CC) in 1887 by future US President Theodore (Teddy)
Roosevelt. The B & CC had two main goals: fi rst, to create sanctuaries and refuges where wildlife
could survive the onslaught of human expansion into frontier lands; and second, to change the
culture of hunting to exalt the noble qualities of the chase above the number of animals killed (Jepson
& Ladle, 2010 ).
2 Nature conservation, which stemmed from ideas of nature as being delicate and intricate
system(s) sensitive to human interference. This idea manifested itself in the preservation of the status
quo and of nature monuments – places for the contemplation of nature, antidotes to urban life. The
concept of nature monuments was promoted particularly by the German forester Hugo Conwentz
(discussed further in Chapter 2 ).
Both nature conservation and wildlife conservation sometimes resulted in a ‘ fortress conservation ’
approach, where areas were fenced off from the local communities in order to save them – or at
least save them for exclusive exploitation by Western interests.
3 Biodiversity conservation. The contemporary approach to conservation embraces both of the
above sets of values and more besides, but can be crudely characterized as distinct from the above
by its emphasis on attempts to conserve biodiversity . The term ‘ biodiversity ’ is simply a contraction
of ‘ biological diversity ’ and may have fi rst been used in a scientifi c study by Elliot Norse in a US
government report in 1980. However, it is more commonly attributed to Walter Rosen around 1985
while planning a symposium; it was used in the title of the resulting 1988 symposium volume (Wilson,
1988a ) and subsequently gained rapid uptake.
Biodiversity has many defi nitions, one prominent one being ‘ [t]he variability of life from all sources,
including within species, between species, and of ecosystems ’ (Matthews et al. , 2001 ). It is, in its
character, a scientifi c/technical term, although it is important to bear in mind that the study of biodiversity is not solely a branch of biology as it has an ethical/social dimension (Jeffries, 1997 ).
Moreover, some commentators have noted that biodiversity defi nitions are often closer to subjective
‘ value judgement ’ concepts such as quality of life than an objective measure of an environmental
property (Lambshead & Boucher, 2003 ). Although most defi nitions of biodiversity stress the complexity of life at multiple levels (e.g. genes, species, ecosystems), ‘ biodiversity conservation activities
are typically directed toward species ’ (Matthews et al. , 2001 , p. 50).
The roots of conservation biogeography
of current scientifi c guidance for biodiversity conservation, in our view it has done so as something of
a poor relation – a Cinderella within conservation
biology. We argue that biogeography can now cast
aside its metaphorical rags as it emerges as a subject
area of central importance to conservation planning.
In part, this repositioning of biogeography is the result
applying island theory to the problem of habitat
fragmentation (e.g. Diamond, 1975a ) and Dasmann ’ s
(1972) biogeographical regionalization approach to
designing networks of protected areas (see Chapters 8
and 5 , respectively).
Although biogeographical science has played its part
alongside other sub - fi elds of biology in the emergence
Box 1.1 General c haracteristics of t hree b road t hemes and p hases of
the c onservation m ovement
The modern conservation movement can trace its roots back to various societies, clubs and social
movements that formed in the late 19th century in response to a variety of changes in society and
the natural world (reviewed in Chapter 2 ; and in Jepson & Ladle, 2010 ). Two themes were particularly
prominent:
1 Wildlife conservation, in the sense of ‘ [t]he controlled use and systematic protection of indigenous fauna ’ . (Matthews et al. , 2001 ) This part of the early conservation movement was rooted in
the natural history and hunting pastimes of elite society of the 19th century and is exemplifi ed by
the creation of the Boone and Crockett club (B & CC) in 1887 by future US President Theodore (Teddy)
Roosevelt. The B & CC had two main goals: fi rst, to create sanctuaries and refuges where wildlife
could survive the onslaught of human expansion into frontier lands; and second, to change the
culture of hunting to exalt the noble qualities of the chase above the number of animals killed (Jepson
& Ladle, 2010 ).
2 Nature conservation, which stemmed from ideas of nature as being delicate and intricate
system(s) sensitive to human interference. This idea manifested itself in the preservation of the status
quo and of nature monuments – places for the contemplation of nature, antidotes to urban life. The
concept of nature monuments was promoted particularly by the German forester Hugo Conwentz
(discussed further in Chapter 2 ).
Both nature conservation and wildlife conservation sometimes resulted in a ‘ fortress conservation ’
approach, where areas were fenced off from the local communities in order to save them – or at
least save them for exclusive exploitation by Western interests.
3 Biodiversity conservation. The contemporary approach to conservation embraces both of the
above sets of values and more besides, but can be crudely characterized as distinct from the above
by its emphasis on attempts to conserve biodiversity . The term ‘ biodiversity ’ is simply a contraction
of ‘ biological diversity ’ and may have fi rst been used in a scientifi c study by Elliot Norse in a US
government report in 1980. However, it is more commonly attributed to Walter Rosen around 1985
while planning a symposium; it was used in the title of the resulting 1988 symposium volume (Wilson,
1988a ) and subsequently gained rapid uptake.
Biodiversity has many defi nitions, one prominent one being ‘ [t]he variability of life from all sources,
including within species, between species, and of ecosystems ’ (Matthews et al. , 2001 ). It is, in its
character, a scientifi c/technical term, although it is important to bear in mind that the study of biodiversity is not solely a branch of biology as it has an ethical/social dimension (Jeffries, 1997 ).
Moreover, some commentators have noted that biodiversity defi nitions are often closer to subjective
‘ value judgement ’ concepts such as quality of life than an objective measure of an environmental
property (Lambshead & Boucher, 2003 ). Although most defi nitions of biodiversity stress the complexity of life at multiple levels (e.g. genes, species, ecosystems), ‘ biodiversity conservation activities
are typically directed toward species ’ (Matthews et al. , 2001 , p. 50).