Conference Agenda

Conservation in its traditional mode of operation has been criticised on various grounds and not least by the attempt to create a new conservation a decade ago that was spearheaded by The Nature Conservancy. In this presentation I revisit some of the counter arguments to the presumed pragmatism of adopting mainstream orthodox economic concepts, values and policies that are employed to align conservation with corporate interests. I then look at some of the recent developments in biodiversity economics (e.g. the Dasgupta Review) and the moves to reduce biodiversity to a financial capital asset. Along the way I note problems with the policy instruments being promoted (e.g. nature based solutions, bio-credits, biodiversity offsets) and the agenda of ‘green growth’. I highlight the larger social economic context within which conservation is operating and the vested interests that are working to co-opt its traditional regulatory approach and opposition to commensuration of values, monistic values, domination of Nature and denial of autonomous Nature.