Skip to main content

What is biodiversity conservation?

This article belongs to Ambio’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Biodiversity Conservation

Ambio volume 50, pages 976–980 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Conservation science is a new and evolving discipline, so it seems prudent to explore different approaches. That said, we should examine what we know and, vitally, what works to conserve biodiversity and what does not. Ecosystem processes determine the fate of many species, but many attempts to theorise about ecosystems have led to ever more fanciful descriptions of nature. All conservation is local. It will only succeed if we find ways to accommodate people and nature. That does not mean indigenous knowledge acquired over millennia will be sufficient to our ever more overcrowded planet. Observational and experimental studies of small populations of wild species, however, do provide practical insights into how to manage biodiversity across much larger geographical extents.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Bengtsson, J., P. Angelstam, T. Elmqvist, U. Emanuelsson, C. Folke, M. Ihse, F. Moberg, and M. Nyström. 2003. Reserves, resilience and dynamic landscapes. Ambio 32: 389–396. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-32.6.389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vos, J.M., L.N. Joppa, J.L. Gittleman, P.R. Stephens, and S.L. Pimm. 2015. Estimating the normal background rate of species extinction. Conservation Biology 29: 452–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gadgil, M., F. Berkes, and C. Folke. 1993. Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Ambio 22: 151–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh-Harihar, M., R. An, R. Athreya, U. Borthakur, P. Chanchani, D. Chetry, A. Datta, A. Harihar, K.K. Karanth, and D. Mariyam. 2019. Protected areas and biodiversity conservation in India. Biological Conservation 237: 114–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanski, I. 1998. Metapopulation dynamics. Nature 396: 41–49.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanski, I. 1999. Metapopulation ecology. Oxford University Press.

  • Hanski, I. 2011. Habitat loss, the dynamics of biodiversity, and a perspective on conservation. Ambio 40: 248–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0147-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karanth, K.K., J.D. Nichols, K.U. Karanth, J.E. Hines, and N.L. Christensen Jr. 2010. The shrinking ark: Patterns of large mammal extinctions in India. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277: 1971–1979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madhusudan, M., and K.U. Karanth. 2002. Local hunting and the conservation of large mammals in India. Ambio 31: 49–54.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montoya, J.M., I. Donohue, and S.L. Pimm. 2018a. Planetary boundaries for biodiversity: Implausible science, pernicious policies. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 33: 71–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montoya, J.M., I. Donohue, S.L. Pimm, et al. 2018b. Why a planetary boundary, if it is not planetary, and the boundary is undefined? A reply to rockström. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 33: 234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenbaum, K.L., D.S. Wilcove, B.A. Wilcox, W.H. Romme, D.W. Johnston, and M.L. Stout. 1986. Conserving biological diversity in our national forests. Washington, DC: The Wilderness Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S.L. 1984. The complexity and stability of ecosystems. Nature 307: 321–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S.L. 2000. Biodiversity is us. Oikos 90: 3–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S.L., I. Donohue, J.M. Montoya, and M. Loreau. 2019. Measuring resilience is essential to understand it. Nature Sustainability 2: 895–897.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S.L., and C.N. Jenkins. 2019. Connecting habitats to prevent species extinctions. American Scientist 107: 162–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S.L., C.N. Jenkins, R. Abell, T.M. Brooks, J.L. Gittleman, L.N. Joppa, P.H. Raven, C.M. Roberts, and J.O. Sexton. 2014. The biodiversity of species and their rates of extinction, distribution, and protection. Science 344: 1246752.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S.L., G.J. Russell, J.L. Gittleman, and T.M. Brooks. 1995. The future of biodiversity. Science 269: 347.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheffers, B.R., L.N. Joppa, S.L. Pimm, and W.F. Laurance. 2012. What we know and don’t know about Earth’s missing biodiversity. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 27: 501–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shyamsunder, S., and S. Parameshwarappa. 2014. Forestry Concerns in India. Dehra Dun: Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shyamsunder, S., and S. Parameswarappa. 1987. Forestry in India-The Foresters View. Ambio 16: 332–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, W., K. Richardson, J. Rockström, S.E. Cornell, I. Fetzer, E.M. Bennett, R. Biggs, S.R. Carpenter, W. de Vries, and C.A. de Wit. 2015. Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science 347: 1259855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. The Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27713, USA

    Stuart L. Pimm

Authors
  1. Stuart L. Pimm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stuart L. Pimm.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pimm, S.L. What is biodiversity conservation?. Ambio 50, 976–980 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01399-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01399-5

Keywords

  • Biodiversity
  • Ecosystem processes
  • Indigenous peoples
  • Habitat fragment
  • Saving nature