ABSTRACT
Processes of economic integration and the growing economic influence of corporations are creating new challenges for people in all countries to protect the lifestyles and habitats that they value. For conservation organizations, the first challenge is clearly defining objectives and priorities on what to conserve. There follows a need to mobilize the best available science and new techniques for working with local human communities to find ways of achieving conserva tion goals at the least social cost. For conservationists, the critical task is to determine the optimal extent, location and management of areas needed to achieve an acceptable balance between the development needs of local people and global biodiversity conservation needs. The inevitable trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and other uses of natural areas are more likely to be widely accepted if they are made in a transparent manner with the full partici pation of all people concerned, with related economic costs and benefits allocated in an equitable manner. IUCN and WWF need to play a leadership role in helping people protect their resources against global pressures and in enabling them to be fairly compensated for any costs they may incur when they live in areas where biodiversity values are primarily global rather than local.
