ABSTRACT

Originally published in 1994, Paradise Lost? is the outcome of a unique collaboration between economists and ecologists initiated by the Beijer Institute of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The book examines how the loss of biodiversity is one of the most serious problems the world faces, and suggests that new, interdisciplinary thinking is required to safeguard both us and the biosphere from the effects of species extinction. The book examines how an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the conservation of biodiversity can understand and tackle the issue. It provides an overview of the causes of the problem, and examines previous approaches to dealing with it. The book also addresses how the loss of biodiversity affects natural systems and provides an examination of environmental policy, while discussing how this has been affected by the ecological limits to economic activity. This book will be of interest to both academics and students of environmental sciences, economics and politics.

part I|87 pages

Implications, Driving Forces and Perspectives

part II|79 pages

Analysis of Selected Systems

chapter 5|25 pages

Forests

chapter 6|16 pages

Wetlands

chapter 7|17 pages

Estuarine and Marine Ecosystems

chapter 8|19 pages

Rangelands

part III|52 pages

Lessons for Management and Policy

part IV|8 pages

Conclusions

chapter 11|6 pages

Paradise Regained: The Challenges Ahead