Opportunities for action

The long-term conservation of biological diversity in developing countries will require biological and social research of the sort described elsewhere in this report. Most of the economic research described in this chapter, however, is intended to stimulate immediate action to stem the loss of biological diversity. Innovative valuation research can help to ensure that environmental goods' services, and amenities do not go undervalued, and hence underrepresented, in the economic assessment of development projects and policies. Causal mechanism analysis and research on economic incentives and disincentives can lead to the rectification of current policies and the development of constructive new measures. This action-oriented approach should guide all those who undertake the conservation of biological diversity from the economic perspective, even as the natural sciences and the other social sciences continue to provide the basic facts concerning life's diversity.