Synergies and tradeoffs in biodiversity conservation

Biodiversity conservation interventions are increasing being used to meet joint biodiversity and sustainable development objectives. While there is considerable debate on whether conservation interventions result in... [ view full abstract ]

Biodiversity conservation interventions are increasing being used to meet joint biodiversity and sustainable development objectives. While there is considerable debate on whether conservation interventions result in “win-wins” for biodiversity and people, there is also much obscurity regarding the social “wins-wins” and “wins-losses” that coastal people experience as a result of conservation. Here we review the heterogeneity in the social impacts of marine biodiversity conservation interventions on human wellbeing. We focus on the synergies (“wins-wins”), trade-offs (“wins-losses”), and the distributional of impacts that flow from marine conservation interventions: marine protected areas; payment for ecosystem services; environmental certification; and community based management.  For each type of intervention, we review synergies and tradeoffs across several dimensions of heterogeneity, including space, time, actors, organizational levels, and domains (e.g., health, education, income). Initial results indicate that most studies report the perceived impacts of conservation on property rights and economic wellbeing, and very few studies quantify impacts using experimental designs with comparative control groups. Our review of social outcomes from marine interventions highlights the need for more rigorous research on conservation impacts on coastal communities. Such research can inform the design of more socially-sustainable conservation policies that produce more equitable outcomes for resource-dependent communities.