Conservationists: don't forget the academics.

• Author: Bates, John
• Position: FROM READERS - Letter to the Editor

Mac Chapin's November/December 2004 article "A Challenge to Conservationists" and the responses to it [January/February 2005] failed to address a key element in the bigger picture with respect to indigenous people and conservationists. Chapin implies that "science" is the driving force behind much NGO conservation activity. Unfortunately, the reality is that this science is largely limited to bringing together enough information to argue for protecting a region and monitoring of megafauna. Not enough attention has been paid to the need for capacity-building for science in the biodiversity-rich regions of the world. Chapin, and too much of the conservation community and those that fund it, seem to often forget that successful long-term conservation will depend not only on the support of local communities, but also on local and regional scientific institutions with properly trained local staff who can continually interact and educate the public about the science behind conservation in an ever-changing world.

Of the millions of dollars going to conservation, only a tiny percentage is funding scientific training and staffing at academic institutions in regions of high biodiversity, such as local universities, museums, and research stations. What is needed is more investment to provide the best education possible for the next generation of scientists capable of documenting, monitoring, and arguing for the preservation of biodiversity. Unfortunately, in too many countries, the best and brightest young biologists are now siphoned off to work for NGOs, often because NGOs can pay more than an...