Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.

Professor Fikret Berkes provides a unique introduction to the social and interdisciplinary dimensions of biodiversity conservation. Examining a range of approaches, new ideas, controversies and debates, he demonstrates that biodiversity loss is not primarily a technical issue, but a social problem that operates in an economic, political and cultural context. Berkes concludes that conservation must be democratized in order to broaden its support base and build more inclusive constituencies for conservation.

Key features include:

• focus on Indigenous peoples' rights, knowledge and practices
• discussion of commons governance, co-management and responsibility
• exploration of the history of conservation and the nature stewardship traditions
• a broad view of conservation that encompasses the well-being of humans as well as ecosystems

Taking an interdisciplinary social science approach that includes conservation science concepts, this Advanced Introductionwill benefit students of environmental studies, geography, ecology and conservation. It will also be a useful resource for conservation organizations.