Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: learning from experiences of participatory biodiversity assessment -- Monitoring and assessment of biodiversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international agreements -- Millennium ecosystem assessment: a multi-scale assessment for global stakeholders -- Conservation of biological diversity in El Salvador shade coffee: the importance of taxonomic capacity for participatory assessments -- Taking stock of nature in species-rich but economically poor areas: an emerging discipline of locally based monitoring -- Researching local perspectives on biodiversity in tropical landscapes: lessons from ten case studies -- Participatory resources monitoring in SW China: lessons after five years -- Forest inventory in Nepal - technical power or social empowerment? -- Perceptions of landscape change in British Columbia's Northwest: implications for biodiversity and participatory management -- How thousands planned for a billion: lessons from India on decentralized, participatory planning -- Inside monitoring: a comparison of bird monitoring groups in Slovenia and the United Kingdom -- Personal and political of volunteers' data: towards a national biodiversity database for the UK -- Improving forest management through participatory monitoring: a comparative case study of four community-based forestry organizations in the Western United States.

"In a world of increasing demands for biodiversity information, participatory biodiversity assessment and monitoring is becoming more significant. Whilst other books have focused on methods, or links to conservation or development, this book is written particularly for policy makers and planners. Introductory chapters analyze the challenges of the approach, the global legislation context, and the significance of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Specially commissioned case studies provide evidence from 17 countries, by 50 authors with expertise in both biological and social sciences. Ranging from community conservation projects in developing countries to amateur birdwatching in the UK, they describe the context, objectives, stakeholders and processes, and reflect on the success of outcomes. Rather than advocating any particular approach, the book takes a constructively critical look at the motives, experiences and outcomes of such approaches, with cross-cutting lessons to inform planning and interpretation of future participatory projects and their contribution to policy objectives."--NHBS Environment Bookstore.