Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2001
Whether market-oriented conservation, by which we mean the promotion of markets for the products of intact ecosystems, protects biodiversity, and under what conditions, has been a subject of much research and debate. Our evaluation of three strategies of the market-oriented use of natural resources led us to conclude that, at least for these three strategies, market-oriented mechanisms of conservation are often socially, economically, or ecologically unsustainable, and that proposals for market-oriented conservation should be approached with caution (Crook & Clapp 1998). Shackleton's (2001) critique and extension of the conditions for market-oriented conservation offers many useful insights, although we question some of his interpretations. Herein we examine some of those extensions, and revisit the criteria for successful market-oriented conservation.