CABS - Research - Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Program (HDP)

Biodiversity loss and conservation are shaped by many actions: a local woman in Madagascar may have no alternative to cooking with charcoal made from shrinking forests.

CABS Home | Contact Us | CI Sites | Search | Site Map


			Climate Change
			Conservation Synthesis
			Geographic Information Systems
			Global Initiatives
			Human Dimensons Program
				Human Welfare and Poverty
				Human and Wildlife Conflicts
				Improving Parks
				Rural Development and Conservation
				Indigenous Peoples
				Conservation Strategies
				Statistical Databases
				Speakers and Lecturers
				Staff
			Invertebrate Diversity Initiative
			Marine Management Area Science Program
			Rapid Assessment Program
			Regional Analysis

HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF BIODIVERSITY

The Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Program (HDP) is housed in the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) at Conservation International. The program explores the complex dynamics of the relationship between people and the conservation of species and their habitats. HDP researchers analyze historical, demographic, economic, and political trends to better understand the interrelationships between human activity and biodiversity. The results of these analyses are used to develop strategies that support biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and human welfare.

HDP research relates theories and data from sociology, anthropology, economics, and geography, to the specific issues of biodiversity loss and conservation. HDP staff and collaborating researchers collect and compile new sets of data, as well as draw on existing data, for their cross-disciplinary analyses.

HDP analyses range from local to global levels, paralleling the sources of threats to biodiversity. The HDP program also synthesizes the lessons learned from an array of conservation actions.

On a broad level, for example, HDP researchers are compiling the most recent data available to estimate the current human population throughout the 25 biodiversity hotspots, as well as those living near protected areas within these hotspots. One example of HDP research on a local level is a study exploring social and ecological impacts of an electric fence at Kenya’s Shimba Hills Reserve, which was erected to protect the neighboring indigenous community from elephants.


	New Presentations on Hydrological Services Available Online: Sampurno Bruijnzeel, tropical hydrology expert, talks about vegetation, reforestation, and hydrological services in two CI-sponsored presentations. Oct. 16 presentation at the World Bank (8 MB PDF) Oct. 17 presentation at CI (7.2 MB PDF) New CABS Brochure Now Available: Click here to view the latest CABS brochure. Contact us to order a hard copy. The Environmental Systems Research Institute Awards CABS’ GIS & Mapping Lab: The Institute honored the Lab for the fifth time in six years, awarding it First Place in the Best Cartographic Design - Single Map Product category for the Coppename River AquaRAP by Mark Denil. View the winning map Hotspots Revisited Available Online. Hotspots Revisited details the state of the earth's biodiversity hotspots. The book identifies 34 regions that cover only 2.3 percent of the Earth's surface but are home to 75 percent of the planet's most threatened species. View Hotspots Revisited



	Click Here to Support CI. Every gift counts towards saving the hotspots. Please consider an online gift.


	Home \| About CI \| Support CI \| CI Newsroom \| CI Library \| CI Partners

© 2006 Conservation International Terms of Use \| Privacy Policy