The marketing of nature

According to its advocates, an ecosystem-services-based approach to conservation will engender greater public support and produce more durable victories. Here, we identify three potential opportunity costs associated with such an approach: (1) diminished attention to protecting rare, localized species (the night parrot effect); (2) diminished attention to protecting wild, remote areas (the proximity-to-people effect); and (3) an emphasis on restoration projects near urban areas rather than the protection of relatively intact ecosystems (the rise-of-restoration effect). We encourage scientists and conservation practitioners to undertake the necessary monitoring and research to determine the magnitude of these opportunity costs.