October-December, 2003

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

BOOK REVIEWS

From Readers

YOUR LETTERS AND COMMENTS Print Only