ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on examples from the Biodiversity Programme papers to illustrate the type of effective management and incentive schemes required to control environmental degradation and maintain biodiversity. Public goods are commodities that can be supplied to additional consumers at no extra cost. ‘Pure’ public goods are both non-rival and non-exclusive. A system of internationally transferable development rights could in principle be developed to ensure adequate conservation of global biodiversity values in tropical countries. The incentives which are needed to conserve biological resources and diversity at the local level usually require commensurate policies at the national level. Policies for improved biodiversity management must be concerned with generating appropriate incentives at the local level. The chapter examines a variety of international, national and local policy issues related to biodiversity conservation and management. New international mechanisms and institutions are required to deal with the global public goods characteristic of the biodiversity problem.
