Features
VIRTUAL ECOSYSTEMS Cover Story
Animated by a few simple yet baffling rules, virtual ecosystems growing in supercomputers bear an uncanny resemblance to real ones. The simulations challenge conventional wisdom about extinctions and invasions. It is time to start thinking about how these models could be used—or misused—to inform conservation decisions.
by W. Wayt Gibbs
RENTING BIODIVERSITY: THE CONSERVATION CONCESSIONS APPROACH
With all the money we spend making conservation pay for itself, we could just pay for conservation.
By Katherine Ellison
Tools & Techniques
HARNESSING CONSUMER POWER FOR OCEAN CONSERVATION
Accessible, transparent, and scientifically sound information can translate choices at the cash register into better marine conservation.
By Carrie Brownstein, Mercédès Lee, and Carl Safina
Numbers In Context
CAN PROTECTED AREAS QUENCH OUR THIRST? Print Only
Fresh drinking water provides a powerful argument for protected areas worldwide.
by Nigel Dudley and Sue Stolton
Case Study
DISTRIBUTING RISK
When an endangered species is limited to a single location, one chance event can erase it from existence. In Australia, ecologists have found a way to hedge the bets of the black-eared miner.
By Douglas Fox
Essays
LOSING: GRACEFULLY, CREATIVELY, AND HUMANELY Print Only
By Jeffrey Lockwood
Journal Watch
Habitat Diversity Critical to Restoration
Helping Coral Reefs Survive Climate Change
Hunting for Sport Can Boost Conservation
Live Seafood Trade Linked to Species Invasions
Making Boaters Slow Down for Manatees
Quarries May Be Last Chance for Rare European Butterflies
Species vs. Ecosystem Recovery
Book Marks
From Readers
YOUR LETTERS AND COMMENTS Print Only