56 



more complex questions: What is traditional? Can Mbuti net- 

 hunters switch to ^uns° Sell to markets? Start farming Who 

 decides Based on whose interests? All questions which are 

 extremely difficult to answer. 



Approaches to biodiversity conservation must focus on both 

 bio logical and socio-economic issues . Biological components, 

 both species and systems, must be at the heart of conservation 

 efforts, and success should be judged by biological measures. 

 Vet conservation must be compatible with socio-economic needs 

 and aspirations, should provide substitutes for resources 

 rendered off- limits to local people, and whenever possible 

 should provide additional social and economic benefits. 

 Questions of degree of comptability remain to be worked out, 

 in particular with respect to the degree to which conservation 

 actors should compensate people or governments for opportunity 

 costs . 



Conservation programs should examine both short and long-term 



impacts of action, as well as assess impacts at global. 



nation al and local levels . Frequently, costs or benefits will 

 not be congruent at different time or geographical scales. 

 Relative impacts must be recognized, weighed, and evaluated 

 before conservation strategies are derived. 



Biological conservation should be based on 

 information, combined with regular monitoring 



sound initial 



Because the natural systems of Africa are still little- 

 understood (many have not even been inventoried), and because 

 conservation approaches are relatively new and untested, all 

 actions taken for conservation should be considered 

 experimental to some degree. This means that there should be 

 a strong emphasis on information collection, from the initial 

 stages of program design through implementation. This allows 

 for program m anagement to continually assess trends, impacts 



and progress . In this way effective approaches to 



conservation can be identified and evaluated, and subsequently 

 promoted . 



Continued monitoring and assessment of biological and socio- 

 economic indicators also provide the basis for adaptive 



program management . Flexible programs will result, and 



therefore the capacity for innovation and problem-solving. 



Reliance on information means that project or program designs 



cannot be based on short missions conducted by outside 



consultants, and initial project designs cannot be required to 

 proscribe all activities for the subsequent series of years . 

 The best initial information will come instead from experts in 

 country, who know country-specific issues best. Conservation 

 programs can benefit significantly from the long-term presence 



