Acknowledgements

Many individuals have contributed to helping this publication see the light of day by generously sharing their ideas and experiences on the concept of a rights-based approach as well as its meaning in different contexts. These inputs were a vital contribution to the planning and completion of the book. The IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC), the editor, and the authors wish to thank all these individuals for their interest in the project.

We are particularly grateful for the contributions of Alejandro Iza, Director of the IUCN ELC and Head of the IUCN Environmental Law Programme; of Sharelle Hart, former legal officer at the IUCN ELC, whose ideas were key in the planning phase of this publication; and of Gonzalo Oviedo, IUCN Senior Policy Adviser, who provided valuable advice during an initial workshop in December 2007 where the idea of conservation with justice through a rights-based approach was discussed and further elaborated.

We wish to thank Françoise Burhenne-Guilmin, Senior Legal Counsel at the IUCN ELC, and Charlotte Streck, Director Climate Focus, for reviewing all or portions of this publication.

We also thank David Huberman, IUCN Economics and Environment Programme; Robert Fisher, University of Sydney; and Victor Ricco, General Coordinator for International Environmental Affairs in the Secretary of Environment and Sustainable Development, Argentina, for their worthwhile feedback and contributions during the workshop “Conservation with Justice: A Rights-based Approach”, which was held on 8 October 2008 at the Fourth IUCN World Conservation Congress. This event provided an opportunity to present the findings of this publication and discuss it with a wide-ranging audience in the conservation community.

We would also like to extend our thanks to Linda Starke for copy-editing the final manuscript as well as to Ann DeVoy and Anni Lukács, IUCN ELC Secretariat, for their assistance in finalizing the publication.

Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the financial contributions to the production of this book provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung).