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Cited by 450

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 1 of the 1 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Global variation in terrestrial conservation costs, conservation benefits, and unmet conservation needs

Open access
Balmford, Andrew, Gaston, Kevin J., Blyth, Simon, James, Alex, Kapos, Val·2003·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Our ability to identify cost-efficient priorities for conserving biological diversity is limited by the scarcity of data on conservation costs, particularly at fine scales. Here we address this issue using data for 139 terrestrial programs worldwide. We find that the annual costs of effective field-based conservation vary enormously, across seven orders of magnitude, from <$0.1 to >$1,000,000 per km 2 . This variation can be closely predicted from positive associations between costs per unit area and an array of indices of local development. Corresponding measures of conservation benefit are limited but show opposing global trends, being higher in less developed parts of the world. The benefit-to-cost ratio of conservation is thus far greater in less developed regions, yet these are where the shortfall in current conservation spending is most marked. Substantially increased investment in tropical conservation is therefore urgently required if opportunities for cost-effective action are not to be missed.

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Metadata

Authors
Balmford, A., Gaston, K. J., Blyth, S., James, A., & Kapos, V.
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2003-01-27
Volume
100
Issue
3
Pages
1046-1050
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2052440083
Cited by
450
References
1
FWCI
14.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
green

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Global variation in terrestrial conservation costs, conservation benefits, and unmet conservation needs. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1073/pnas.0236945100
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Balmford, A., Gaston, K. J., Blyth, S., James, A., & Kapos, V. (2003). Global variation in terrestrial conservation costs, conservation benefits, and unmet conservation needs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0236945100

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