Parks and reserves are on the front line in the campaign to conserve biodiversity on our planet. It is increasingly clear that these protected areas have limited future prospects without the cooperation and support of local people, especially in developing countries. Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) set out to reconcile park management with local needs and aspirations -- by emphasizing social and economic development among local communities -- and have managed to attract the lion's share of the funding for biodiversity. But so far the results have been disappointing. Important unanswered questions remain, and there is little consensus on when or where an ICDP approach to protected area management is appropriate and likely to be effective. Some conservationists argue that the ICDP focus on development dilutes biodiversity conservation goals, whereas others argue that the inward-looking protectionist alternative is doomed to failure.

As the struggle to balance conservation and development continues, the need to evaluate what works and what doesn't becomes increasingly important. This book draws on the lessons from the ICDP experience to inform the next generation of biodiversity conservation programs, including those concerned with the alleviation of poverty as well as those working at landscape scale. The contributors explore the theoretical and practical challenges to better inform conservationists and decision makers of the role that conservation and development approaches can and should play in conserving biodiversity.