Species-based conservation

Human impacts on the environment, combined with natural phenomena, have resulted in the rapid decline in a range of species. The causes are multifaceted and in some cases extinction has been the result, but in other areas some successes have been achieved. Species-based conservation has been a widely adopted strategic response and part of a broader range of tools that law and policymakers have utilised. Species-based conservation measures can be found at all levels of governance from international treaties to municipal laws across a range of jurisdictions. This chapter will explore the origins of species-based conservation drawing on international law as well as key literature in the field. Thereafter key challenges will be analysed, including the difficulty of ensuring that science is embedded in law and policy in a timely manner, facilitating compliance with species based tools and the perennial problem of enforcement.