International Treaties in Nature Conservation: A UK Perspective

To the casual observer, global summits and the resolutions they produce can seem frustratingly ineffective – repeating cycles of targets set, missed and reset, with no obvious progress. Yet despite the apparent inertia, when used to good effect these processes can be powerful tools for positive change. International treaties are directly responsible for some of the greatest environmental success stories in modern history and their role now is arguably more important than ever. Amid the twin crises of climate change and ecological collapse, it is critical that decisionmakers learn from past mistakes and strive for ambition and collaboration at a global level.

International Treaties in Nature Conservation provides a unique insight into the inner mechanisms of international treaties – their history, development, successes and failures – from those who have spent their lives working with them. The authors shed light on the key features of these international processes in relation to nature conservation, especially in the UK, revealing how treaties and global institutions came about, how they function in theory and practice, the main issues they address and the challenges they face both in making decisions and in terms of their national and international implementation. International Treaties in Nature Conservation will help to provide an understanding of international conservation treaties for anyone involved in conservation policy, including policymakers, professional ecologists, advisors, students and researchers.