Chapter 12 Chapter Summary

  Sustainable development is defined as economic development that satisfies the present and future needs of human society while minimizing its impact on biodiversity. Achieving sustainable development is a challenge for conservation biology and society.

  Legal efforts to protect biodiversity occur at the local, regional, and national levels and regulate activities affecting both private and public lands. Governments and private land trusts buy land for conservation purposes or acquire conservation easements and development rights for future protection. Laws can limit pollution, regulate or ban certain types of development, and set rules for hunting and other activities—all with the aim of preserving biodiversity and protecting human health.

  International agreements and conventions that protect biological diversity are needed because species migrate across borders, there is an international trade in biological products, the benefits of biological diversity are of international importance, and the threats to diversity are often international in scope and require international cooperation.

  One of the most important mechanisms for measuring progress on international conservation is the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, established at the Convention on Biological Diversity.

  Conservation groups, governments in developed countries, and the World Bank provide funding to protect biodiversity, especially in developing countries. National environmental funds and debt-for-nature swaps are also used to fund conservation activities. However, the amount of money is still inadequate to deal with the problems.