Overview
An inside account of the meteoric rise and disillusioning fall of ecosystem services-an idea once heralded as the way forward for conservation. An inside account of the meteoric rise and disillusioning fall of ecosystem services-an idea once heralded as the way forward for conservation. Biologists Unite explores the political reshaping of global biodiversity conservation through the story of ecosystem services, a burgeoning field of science dedicated to analyzing the many valuable ""services"" nature provides to humanity. What is at stake in ongoing attempts to recast ""nature"" as ""natural capital""? Why did this way of thinking come to gain such widespread currency among conservationists? And what can the contemporary embrace of ecosystem services tell us about the changing politics of environmentalism? Daniel Chiu Suarez offers an intimate, insider perspective on these hotly debated questions- an ethnographic portrait of ecosystem services told through the experiences and predicaments of its core champions-chief among them, life scientists-toiling at the forefront of diverse efforts aimed at ""mainstreaming"" its tenets across a range of governance contexts. Drawing on more than half a decade of participant observation conducted around two influential initiatives-the Natural Capital Project and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)-the book narrates the meteoric ""rise"" of ecosystem services but also, and perhaps more crucially, how fragile its influence turned out to be when put to the test.
Reviews
“To chart the meteoric rise of ‘ecosystem services,’ an evangelized solution to the global biodiversity crisis, requires a history-spanning ambition. To further document the feelings of its practitioners, the ambivalence of its adherents, and the confusions of its critics conversely necessitates a subtle touch and an empathic soul. Daniel Chiu Suarez possesses all these qualities in surplus and demonstrates them in compelling narratives from the heart of the conservation machine. An astounding achievement.” —Paul Robbins, Dean, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin “A fascinating critical exploration of words, power, and the power of words—figuring out how to make humans, especially decision-making ones, value the world they inhabit is an ongoing and crucial task.” —Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun “Drawing on ten years of fieldwork inside major conservation organizations, Suarez illuminates how biologists have increasingly come to question the efficacy and ethics of the current ecosystem services paradigm, and to envision a more radical version focused on changing capitalism rather than working within it.” —Rebecca Lave, former President of the American Association of Geographers; coauthor of Streams of Revenue
Author Information
Daniel Chiu Suarez is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and C.V. Starr Fellow in International Studies at Middlebury College.
