Found in a variety of forms and sometimes with very attractive flowers, cacti and other succulents have elicited widespread interest and tremendous popularity worldwide. Although the subject of a certain amount of debate, about 10,000 species of plant are recognised as belonging to the succulent group. Of these, an estimated 2,000 are threatened with global extinction in the wild and many more are regionally or nationally threatened.
Biodiversity captured worldwide attention at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro when 150 nations signed the Convention on Biological Diversity. Although most countries by now have had some experience planning and implementing biodiversity-related measures, few have approached them in the comprehensive, integrated manner required by the Convention.
This important book explains in a clear, concise and very readable exposition, how economic incentives can be applied to creative approaches to conservation which complement development efforts.
