The Science of Strategic Conservation
Protecting More with Less

Make conservation investments using structured decision-making, mathematical programming, the power of markets, and behavioral nudges.

Kent D. Messer (Author), William L. Allen III (Author)

9781316642184, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 May 2018

340 pages, 67 b/w illus. 57 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.56 kg

Billions have been spent on land conservation but too little attention had been paid to how cost-effective these investments have been. With budgets increasingly constrained, conservationists must learn to fully harness their funds to protect critical resources. Messer and Allen are pioneers in making conservation selection more successful, cost-effective, scientific, and transparent. This book introduces powerful mathematical tools available for project selection, using real-life examples and a practical step-by-step approach. Readers can readily apply these methods to their own work, accomplishing more with less by combining the individual benefits of structured decision-making, mathematical programming, and an understanding of market forces and human behavior. The authors highlight tools from conservation science, mathematics, land use planning and behavioral economics, showing how they can be combined to help protect key environmental resources. This is an invaluable volume for all students, professionals and stakeholders associated with conservation programs.

Foreword Larry Selzer
1. Strategic conservation matters
2. A $100 bottle of wine and a hammer: principles of strategic conservation
3. From great ideas to costly habits
4. Avoiding budget sponges and other lessons from conservation failures
5. Moving from mission to vision to criteria
6. Transform criteria into conservation benefits
7. Enhance the evaluation of choices
8. Get the best bang for your buck
9. Harness the power of markets and behavioral nudges
10. Putting it all together: a short story
11. Do it! Exercises using optimization decision support tools
12. Do It! Exercises using the logic scoring of preference method
Appendix A. Mathematical foundations of the logic scoring of preference method
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Conservation of the environment [RNK], Environmental management [RNF], Applied ecology [RNC]