In situ and Ex situ Conservation of Commercial Tropical Trees - ITTO

22ecosystem, seldom protect forests on tenures other than public lands, and areoften culturally inappropriate. They are subject to a range of social and economicpressures which may not be compatible with the protection of their conservationvalues, and which many cannot sustain.As Paine (1997) recognises, the principal policy implication forbiodiversity conservation is that effective strategies must be based on scientificcriteria rather than political expediency. However, contemporary humanpressures on forests are such that forest conservation has to be achieved in thecontext of competing demands for forest use; it cannot be based solely on theestablishment of protected areas. As many analysts and interested parties haveargued vigorously (Bridgewater et al. 1995, Kramer et al. 1997, IUCN WCPA1997, McNeely in press, Expo 2000 1998), a broader vision for forest conservationis needed if forest conservation goals are to be achieved and sustained.Broadening our vision of forest conservationThis broader vision for forest conservation has been evolving in many parts ofthe world. This builds on the achievements and experiences of the past, and oncontemporary understanding of science and societies. It is one in which forestconservation strategies are more diverse but also more integrated, more broadlybased and more inclusive, and consequently more effective in achieving forestconservation goals.The broader vision for forest conservation seeks to conserve the fullrange of forest values. It recognises the conservation of biological diversityand the maintenance of ecosystem services as fundamental to the conservationof other forest values – for example, the sustained harvest of forest products,or the protective functions of forests. It also recognises the importance ofconserving other forest values – for example, their productive wealth, theirroles as water catchments and as carbon sinks, and their cultural and spiritualvalues. The broader vision for forest conservation recognises the ecologicaland economic interdependencies between forest values, and seeks to developrelationships that enhance rather than diminish the synergies betweenconservation and development.This evolving vision for forest conservation recognises that protectedareas are the cornerstone of conservation strategies 5 . It also recognises thatprotected areas are seldom, if ever, adequate to achieve conservation objectivesin isolation from the complementary management of other forests, and that weneed to make protected areas a component of integrated conservation systems.It recognises that simply setting targets for the number or extent of protectedareas is insufficient to achieve conservation goals, and that effective