The role and value of biodiversity conservation has been traditionally assessed in environmental economics in terms of intrinsic use and non-use values. This book attempts to broaden the motivation for biodiversity conservation by relating conservation to its impact on sustainable development and human well-being. This is sought to be done through explicit consideration of the dynamics of the interaction between people, biodiversity and ecosystem services. It brings together a diverse range of expertise to address the economic, social and institutional challenges confronting policy makers in the conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecosystem services. The book does consider different approaches to the economic valuation of biodiversity, the need for which arises from the well-recognised public good characteristics of biodiversity and associated market failures. However, more important is the examination of the social aspects of conservation and how governance and institutional/regulatory structures affect the incentives and prospects of conservation. The focus on intellectual property regimes and the protection of indigenous knowledge as drivers of conservation outcomes is particularly useful. The potential impact of climate change on biodiversity conservation has been also considered. The conceptual framework of the drivers of biodiversity conservation is supported through a series of well-researched case studies covering a range of countries, ecosystems and institutional settings. The empirical evidence of the linkages between biodiversity conservation and livelihoods that these case studies provide will be of considerable interest to policy makers and is perhaps the most valuable contribution of this book.