REVIEW OF “CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE” BY E.J. MILNER-GULLAND AND J. MARCUS ROWCLIFFE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Prepared by M. Arce, Universidad del Valle

This is an excellent book for those who look for a handbook of useful techniques with emphasis in conservation of species under a quantitative approach and which deals with the social and biological aspects of conservation.

The book is very comprehensive in all aspects of relevant techniques for surveying exploited species, in the subject matter of abundance, survival (including harvest mortality and productivity rates).

All tecniques presented are useful for any type of practitioners, i.e. biologists,economists, engineers, administrators etc. and also for policy makers who are interested in survival rates of species,the harvest productivity which is a key determinant of population growth and response to exploitation.

The book is abundant in statistical procedures, sampling schemes and decision flowcharts to guide practitioners to select the right approach in the conservation problem, among others, at hand. Also the book illustrates real application cases and displays many relevant support software which can be used free in dealing with field research activities, policies implementation (monitoring), etc.

Due importance is also given to the decision trees provided for selecting the relevant methods which must be used. A short list of items dealt in the book would include density dependence ( a key factor for the population growth of species), movement rates , habitat association,, migration, experimental ecology, poaching, catch per unit effort (indicator of population trends), the changes in the population size which can be used as a direct measure of the state of the conservation system. But the major one item is that of sustainability indicators ( biological, social and financial) and also the understanding of natural resources users´ incentives.

Case studies are also included with questionaires used in field work and also it is studied the effects of the conservation interventions. Space is dedicated to the statistical modelling in biology and predictive models. The book also has a chapter about the different management approaches which could be followed by those persons involved in the conservation of exploited species.

In short, is really a comprehensive toolbox of methods, procedures, statistical backup,free software available to approach the problem of conservation of species by means of understanding the human setting and the dynamics of complex bio-economic systems.