Conservation across Borders: Biodiversity in an Interdependent World

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Review: Conservation Across Borders: Biodiversity in an Interdependent World By Charles C. Chester Reviewed by A.M. Mannion University of Reading, UK Charles C. Chester. Conservation Across Borders: Biodiversity in an Interdependent World. Washington D.C.: Island Press, 2006. 262pp. ISBN: 1-55963-611-4, US pbk Alkaline paper. $US 29.95. Biodiversity loss is one of the major environmental issues of the 21st century. The conservation of species and ecosystems is difficult under the best of circumstances but where regional or national borders are involved the task requires even more effort. In North America, the mainly straightline boundaries separating the USA from Mexico in the south and Canada in the North were drawn with political and not ecological motives. Conservation problems associated with these boundaries are the substance of this book and are illustrated by reference to two initiatives: the International Sonoran Desert Alliance (ISDA) and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y). Following an introduction to the general problem and the specific programmes, Chester's book moves into an analysis of the many interpretations of the term 'transborder', and a brief review of historical efforts at transborder conservation such as the proposed Peace Parks of the of the early 1900s in Europe and North America. The many international initiatives have various names, the most widely accepted being Transboundary Protected Areas (TBPAs). Their advantages and disadvantages, successes and failures, best and worst practices are examined. A major example discussed is the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB), established in the late 1960s, which recognized conservation needs and the need to reconcile them with society's needs, and instigated the development of an international network of Biosphere Reserves to preserve representative areas of the world's biodiversity. The goals, ethics and practices of MAB influenced ISDA and Y2Y, both ambitious projects embracing substantial areas, land managers with varying economic and ecological goals as well as different national governments. Details of the ISDA occupy the next 80 pages. Its official designation occurred in 1993 but it emerged from earlier MAB efforts in Mexico and the USA, which emerged from even earlier protected areas. Biology and geography are just two facets of a complex land area that experiences rapid urban growth, cultural variation, different legal systems, migration problems and drug smuggling. ISDA itself has experienced rifts within its ruling body and shifts in policy from an emphasis on land management to environmental education and community outreach programmes. …