ABSTRACT

This chapter begins by making a basic distinction between proximate and underlying causes of the problem, and discusses in more detail key issues of population and scale, culture and ethics, economic incentives and institutions. Species extinction has been mainly confined to medium sized mammals in Australia – native marsupials. The key driving forces behind the proximate causes of biodiversity loss are the joint effect of human population numbers and human behaviour in relation to the natural environment. The scale, or size, of human population can be an important source of stress on an ecosystem’s sustainability, either directly or indirectly through reducing biodiversity. The economic incentives for biodiversity conservation can also be influenced directly by publicly funded investment projects. The institutional framework of society is an important influence on individuals’ decisions, concerning the use of resources and thus the incentives for biodiversity conservation. The national and international institutional and legal framework also has an important role to play in biodiversity conservation.