ABSTRACT
Humans have developed formal and informal regulations for the conservation and use of nature for hundreds—even thousands—of years, but the focus until recently has been primarily on protecting species of direct value to humans. In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists began to accumulate enough data on species extinction, deforestation, and tropical biology to become aware of a global problem (Wilson 1988). At the same time, awareness was growing about the links between conservation of biodiversity and economic development (Prescott-Allen and Prescott-Allen 1982). Global interest increased in the conservation of species and ecosystems more for their intrinsic value, and for their direct contribution to ecosystem services and the balance of nature. One of the first uses of the term “biological diversity” was in the 1980 U.S. Council on Environmental Quality and State Department annual report to the president (CEQ 1980).
