When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was founded over 40 years ago we focussed exclusively on protecting rare species and on the establishment and management of parks and reserves. Since then we have come a long way. Today we recognise that the problems of conservation cannot be solved if we do not also address the problems of the people who live and depend upon the natural resources of forests, arid lands and wetlands. We will not be able to conserve nature if we cannot ensure the sustainability of agriculture. Reconciling rural livelihoods and environmental conservation is one of the major challenges facing humanity. The basic idea that we must manage rural landscapes in an integrated way is not new. It was clearly expressed in the World Conservation Strategy over 20 years ago. WWF, and other conservation and development organisations, have amassed a wealth of experience on how to achieve conservation and development on the ground. Yet until now we have only been partially successful. We had good theories but we lacked the practical tools for putting them into action in our programmes. We have not been good at learning from our mistakes and sometimes we have been unwilling to confront the reality that there are significant trade-offs between conservation and the livelihoods of local people.

Jeff Sayer and Bruce Campbell have spent their entire careers working at the interface of science and practical conservation.