Biodiversity has always been viewed in isolation as falling outside social, political and economic spheres. However, the importance of biodiversity conservation is critical to all. Biodiversity is not only about greenness and plants and animals, it is also about the economy and the lives of people at community level. This falls in line with current debates in South Africa where matters of biodiversity have shifted beyond the sphere of conservation to include wider issues such as politics, economics and culture. In this feature, researchers in the field of aquatic biodiversity conservation discuss the many ways in which conservation can contribute to economic growth.
