Based on theoretical analysis and original case study material, this work explains the best land use combinations to meet the social and economic needs of developing nations without jeopardising the ability of natural systems to deliver their life-support functions.

What are the best land use combinations to meet the social and economic needs of developing nations without jeopardizing the ability of natural systems to deliver their life-support functions? Based on theoretical analysis and original case study material, this book attempts to answer this question by studying the interactions between economic forces which can lead to land use changes and the subsequent loss of biodiversity. Raffaello Cervigni examines the policy options and management practices that may counteract these losses and encourage the development of sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation.

Part 1 Introduction: biodiversity conservation and loss - the background - the biodiversity problem, defining diversity and loss, biodiversity and human well-being, economic activity and biodiversity loss, summary. Part 2 Theoretical issues: land use change, biodiversity loss and economic analysis - land conversion and biodiversity loss, a conceptual framework for addressing the problem of land conversion, interventions to alter the incentives to land conversion, conclusion - analyzing land use change in theory and in practice
financing conservation - theoretical aspects - biodiversity conservation and incremental cost - a simple model, some results using particular functional forms, conclusions. Part 3 biodiversity loss and conservation in practice - a case study in Mexico: the area - Sierra de Santa Marta, Veracruz, Mexico - location and physical description, biodiversity relevance, the socio-economic environment
the process of land use change - modelling farm behaviour - the past - historical overview of the process of land use change, the present, prospects for the future - modelling farm-level decisions
predicting land use changes and designing conservation policies in the study area - a model for aggregating farm-level decisions over space and time, results, policy implications, conclusions.