ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to delineate the conceptual space occupied by conservation, which is an umbrella term for a wide, and often contradictory, set of ideas and practices. It considers diverse underpinning motivations for conservation, and ideas about what to conserve and where. Particular attention is paid to the practices of conservation, focusing on the territorial strategy of creating protected spaces for nature, and the relationship between conservation and capitalism. Examples from contemporary debates are provided, including the ‘Nature Needs Half’ movement and calls for an anthropocentric and neoliberal ‘new conservation’.
