In the face of the failure of the traditional 'command and control' model of environmental regulation to curb the devastating losses of biodiversity around the world, policymakers are increasingly seeking new approaches to deal with this complex interdisciplinary issue. The Privatisation of Biodiversity? provides a timely contribution to this debate by exploring the legal aspects and the scope to strengthen conservation through these reforms. Colin Reid and Walters Nsoh draw on literature well beyond legal sources, particularly from ecology, environmental economics, and philosophy to reach a number of pragmatic conclusions on the issues discussed. The new approaches explored include payment for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsetting and conservation covenants, as well as taxation and impact fees. Such mechanisms introduce elements of a market approach as well as private sector initiative and resources. This book considers both the practical and ethical aspects of the regulatory choices available to identify the potential and limitations of an increasingly market-based regime. Bringing clarity and coherence to a complex issue, this book will act as a useful tool for environmental and public law scholars as well as other academics in a range of fields interested in biodiversity conservation. It will also provide valuable insight for policymakers, legal practitioners involved in planning, environmental and agricultural matters, public bodies with responsibility for conservation, landowners, managers and developers, individuals and NGOs dedicated to biodiversity, and students of nature conservation interested in exploring new mechanisms for achieving their objectives.

Over the last few years, illegal logging and the associated trade in illegally harvested timber has emerged as one of the greatest threats to forests around the world. Various initiatives have been developed and are being pursued to tackle the problem, amongst which is forest/timber certification. A number of certification schemes exist and are currently being widely used by various Governments as part of their timber procurement policy. But even within the existing certified forests, there is still evidence of illegal and unsustainable activities. This book therefore assesses the extent to which forest/timber certification is likely to provide an effective instrument in the current global fight against this growing problem. Although the situation is not peculiar to one country, the author uses the United Kingdom (UK) and Cameroon in most instances to illustrate more general issues. Limitations to the use of certification and suggestions on how to overcome them are analysed, among other ideas. The analysis should help shed some light on this legal instrument, and should be especially useful to policy analysts or anyone else who may be interested in the illegal logging debate.