ABSTRACT
The application of the precautionary principle to biodiversity conservation is a novel departure from its original intent. Early applications of the precautionary principle were found in treaties dealing with hazardous substances. In
other words, the precautionary principle originated from an industrial context. An example of this can be found in the Declaration of the Third Ministerial Conference of the North Sea in the early 1980s, which defined it as:
action to avoid potentially damaging impacts of substances that are persistent, toxic and liable to bioaccumulate even where there is no scientific evidence to prove a causal link between effects and emissions. (Haigh, 1993)
Nonetheless, the use of the precautionary principle in a biodiversity context followed quickly.
