{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02519301097114994, 'fraction_numerical': 0.003250711093051605, 'mean_word_length': 5.32904884318766, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 1, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Valuing the Environment in Developing Countries: Case Studies

management courses, students at any level on conservation science or conservation management courses’ is not entirely justified in my opinion, although I would accept the publishers’ claim that this book is very suitable for ‘professional conservation and countryside managers’. Even so, I was very happy to recommend this book to my undergraduate and postgraduate students as soon as I obtained a copy. This is a hands-on book, and offers an informative outline of what management planning for conservation entails in practice, including how to develop an action plan, which is a skill that standard academic texts seldom provide. One striking aspect of the book is its logical structure, and plain but authoritative tone. Not many books I have come across in this field would have chapter with titles reading ‘Why Plan?’, ‘What Do We Value?’, and ‘Ethics and Conservation Management or Why Conserve Wildlife?’ The book is organised into 17 chapters, bringing together five themes: conservation policy evaluation; habitat management; management planning; nature conservation; and species management. A significant strength of this book is its principled, but pragmatic approach to the governance of natural reserves. Recognising that nature conservation cannot be appreciated enough if it were not also experienced by society, the author dedicates significant sections of the book to issues of managing public access, tourism, recreation and rights of way. The author cites several relevant models followed in the UK and elsewhere that offer examples in the area of public access. In an age characterised by uncertainties about the future of our natural environments and the diversity of our species, Mike Alexander’s Management Planning for Nature Conservation is an especially welcome addition to the literature because it has a tremendous practical value. The book’s plain style and well informed arguments remind me of another publication that I often consult because of its enduring topicality and authority. Peter Singer’s Practical Ethics (OUP, 1979) shared similar preoccupations, which Alexander’s book translates into practical application. As Singer put it (p. 49), ‘The argument for extending the principle of equality beyond our own species is simple, so simple that it amounts to no more than a clear understanding of the nature of the principle of equal consideration of interests.’