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Prospects and challenges
role in ensuring public support for nature conservation
if they can succeed in converting their research fi ndings into compelling narratives – modern parables that
are in tune with the changing social values of nature
(Bowman, 2001 ).
It is an exciting time to be a biogeographer: the
discipline is awash with new tools, techniques, and
accessible, large - scale data sets, with the promise of
more systematic local, regional, and global information systems to come in the near future. Conservation
biogeography, the intersection of a venerable academic
discipline with some of the world ’ s most pressing environmental problems, surely has a vital role to play in
informing future debates about the conservation of
biodiversity.
We hope that this book has given you the sense of
a discipline in a state of intellectual ferment, offering
promise and potential, as scientists from around the
globe tackle some of the biggest issues to face the
natural world.