CONSERVING THE WORLD'S BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Jeffrey A. McNeely Kenton R. Miller Walter V. Reid Russell A. Mittermeier Timothy B. Werner WORLD RESOURCES CONSERVATION INSTITUTE INTERNATIONAL WORLD BANK WWF INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL WORLD WILDLIFE FUND-US WORLD BANK CONSERVING THE WORLD'S BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY By Jeffrey A. McNeely Kenton R. Miller Walter V. Reid Russell A. Mittermeier Timothy B. Werner Agency tol International Development Library Room 105 SA-18. Washington, D.C. 20523 0 Gland, Switzerland, and Washington, D.C. Prepared and published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, World Resources Institute, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund-US and the World Bank Copyright: 1990 IUCN, WRI, CI, WWF-US. the World Bank. This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit uses, without special permision from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. IUCN, WRI, CI, and WWF-US would appreciite receiving a -:opy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. For inquiries regarding use of material in this book for other purposes, please contact WRI, 1709 New York Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006. No use of this publication may be made for resale or other commercial purpose without the prior writ­ ten permission of the copyright holders. Citation: McNeely, Jeffrey A., Kenton R. Miller, Walter V. Reid, Russell A. Mittermeier and Timothy B. Werner 1990. CONSERVING THE WORLD'S BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland; WRI, CI, WWF-US, and the World Bank, Washington, D.C. ISBN: 0-915825-42-2 0-8213-1384-3 (The World Bank) Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 89-051386 Book design, layout and illustration: Stephen D. Nash Printed by: Consolidated Business Forms, Lock Haven, PA Available from: IUCN Publications Services, 1196 Gland, Switzerland WRI Publications, P.O. Box 4852 Hamden Station, Baltimore, MD 21211 World Bank Publications, P.O. Box 7247-8619, Philadeiphia, PA 19170-8619 The designations of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the participating organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of' its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries The ijiterpretations and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily repre­ sent the view of IUCN, WRI, and CI, or the other participating or sponsoring organizations. Cover photos (clockwise from upper-left): Galapagos hawk (by R. Mast); coral reef (by J. Post): chameleon (by R.A. Mittermeier); muriqui (by R.A. Mittertneier): caterpillar (by A. Young): Papua New Guinean highlander (by R.A. Mittermeier); succulent plant from Campo Rupestre, Brazil (by R.A. Mitnermcier); (center) agriculture in Thailand (by Y. Hadar, World Bank). 4 Authors Jefrev A. McNeelyv is Chief Conservation Officer of IUCN, RussellA. Mittermeieris President of Conservation Inter­ where he is responsible for designing the organization's con- national. Prior to this, tic served as Vice-President for servation programs, providing the main liaison on technical Science at World Wildlife Fund (1987-89) and as Director matters with international institutions including various agen- of that organization's programs bOr Brazil and the Guianas cies of the United Nations, the World Bank and the World (1985-89), Madagascar (1985-89), Species Conservation Wildlife Fund. Also with IUCN, Mr. McNcely served (1986-89) and Primates ( 1979-81)). He has served as Chair­ previously as Deputy Director General for Conservation, man of the Primate Specialist Group of the International Director of the Policy and Progrannc Division, and Ex- Union tor Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' ecutive Officer of the Coimission on National Parks and Species Survival Comnission (IUCN/SSC) since 1977, as Protected Areas. Prior tojoining IUCN in 1980, he was the SSC's Vice-Chairman for International Programs since 1985, World Wildlife Funid's representative in Indonesia. Mr. and as Chairman of the World Bank's Task Force on McNeely's more than 10 years field experience in Asia in- Biolgical Diversity in1988 and 1989. He is also a member cludes extensive scientific research, resource planning and of the Board of Wildlife Preservation Trust International and nature management. He has pubiished numerous books and the Belize Zoo, a Research Associate at the Museuim of Coin­ technical articles on these subjects. particularly on the rela- parative Zoology at Harvard University, and an Adjunct tionship between culture and natural resources. Mr. McNeely Associate Professor at the State University of New York at holds a Bachelors degree inAnthropology from the Univer- Stony Brook. Dr. Mitternicier's publications include five sity of California, Los Angeles. books and over 200 papers and popular articles on prim tes. Kemton R. Miller is Director of WRI's Program in Forests reptiles, tropical forests and biodiversity, and he is respon­ and Biodiversity. Prior to joining WRI's staff in 1988. Dr. sible for publishing the journal Primate Conservation. He Miller served br the years as Director General of IUCN. has conducted field work on three continents and more than Before that, lie was Associate Professor f Natural Resources 20 countries in the tropics, and his most recent field work and Director, Center for Strategic Wildlife Management has been on primates, protected areas and other conserva­ Studies, School of Natural Resources, University of tion issues ill the Atlantic forest region of eastern Brazil. in Michigan. During this period, lie served for seven years as Suriname and on the islana of Madagascar. Dr. Mittermeier Chairman of IUCN's Commission on National Parks and received his B.A. (summna cume laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Protected Areas. Dr. Miller also acted as Secretary Genemal Dartmouth in 1971, and his Ph.D. from Harvard in for the Third World National Parks Congress in 1982 in Bali, Biological Anthropology in 1977. Indonesia. Previously, he served for ten years with the Food Timothy B. Werner is a Research Associate at Conserva­ and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations direct- tion International, where he specializes in biogeographical ing wildlands management activities in Latin America and analyses and issues in conservation biology, and also coor­ the Caribbean. His work has carried him throughout the dinates new program initiatives in Oceania. Before joining world and he has published extensively on national parks CI, tie worked at World Wildlife Fund in the Science Depart­ planning and wildland managenient. Dr. Miller holds degrees ment as a Research Assistant, and prior to that as an intern in Forest Management and a Ph.D. in Forest Economics from on the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystems Project, located the State University of New York. Syracuse. in Brazil's Amazon region. He holds a degree in History Walter V. Reid is Associate with the WRI Program in (cure laude) from Boston University. Forests and Biodiversity. Before joining WRI in Juie 1988, Dr. Reid was a Gilbert White Fellow with Resources for the Future where tie studied the management of Southern Ocean fisheries and examined environmental issues related to sus­ tainable development. He has taught courses in natural history and environmental sciences at the University of Washington and workc I as a wildlife biologist with the California and Alaska departments of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service inAlaska. Dr. Reid earned a Ph.D. in Zoology with specialization in Population and Commun­ ity Ecology troni the University of Washington. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREW ORD , by M .S. Swarninathan .......................................................... ....... 9 ACK NOW LEDGEM ENTS .......................................................................... 10 EX ECUTIV E SU M M A RY .......................................................................... 11 I. BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT ........................... 17 Biological Diversity and Development ........................................................... 19 Modern Approaches to Conserving Biological Diversity ............................................ 20 Developing a Global Biodiversity Conservation Strategy ............................................ 21 II. THE VALUES OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ................................................... 25 Ethics, Economics, and Biological Diversity ...................................................... 25 Assessing the Value of Biological Resources ...................................................... 27 D irect Values of Biological Resources ........................................................... 28 Indirect Values of Biological Resources .......................................................... 31 Conclusions ................................................................................. 34 III. HOW AND WHY BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ARE THREATENED ............................... 37 The Dim ensions of the Problem ................................................................ 39 Economic Factors Stimulating Overexploitation of Biological Resources ............................... 47 Social Factors that Threaten Biological Resources ................................................