When conservation challenges biodiversity offsetting. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Devictor, Vincent
• Is Part Of: Biological conservation. Volume 192(2015)
• Page Start: 483
• Page End: 484
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: Commodification -- Economic -- Ethics -- Neoloberalism -- Not net loss -- Politics; Conservation of natural resources -- Periodicals; Nature conservation -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.9516
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.032
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0006-3207

Abstract

Abstract: In the era of sustainable development it is hard to find anyone who will argue in favour of recognizing the importance of conflict. Although often incompatible, we strive to align conservation goals with development imperatives, and finding the best compromise is a leitmotiv in conservation science. But it should not be forgotten that compromises can be destructive, while conflict can be constructive. This is where biodiversity offsetting can make a contribution. The fundamental idea of biodiversity offsetting is to stop, or at least to slow, development projects by recognizing the need to compensate for their impacts on biodiversity. In principle, this is the best compromise we could ever hope for: it gives a licence to destroy — but only if you can repair. But it hides an assumption: that it is possible to assess, compare and equate what is destroyed and what is repaired. This is where many practical and theoretical conflicts arise. How can we do this? Who is able to decide, measure, organize and control biodiversity offsetting in space and time? Is it even a good idea to think about it as a conservation tool when it starts with destruction? Does it actually stop or encourage development? What about the obvious conflicts of interests at play among actors (developers, experts, scientists, banks) in this process? Avoiding these questions means accepting destructive compromises, while addressing them opens the way to constructive conflict. This special issue on biodiversity offsetting offers a unique opportunity to think about the key aspects of contemporary conservation: its recent history, ethical motives, major scientific challenges, and political implications. It examines the issues from three complementary angles and several disciplines (history, ecology, economy, and ethics), putting biodiversity offsetting into context, into practice, and into perspective.