“To chart the meteoric rise of ‘ecosystem services,’ an evangelized solution to the global biodiversity crisis, requires a history-spanning ambition. To further document the feelings of its practitioners, the ambivalence of its adherents, and the confusions of its critics conversely necessitates a subtle touch and an empathic soul. Daniel Chiu Suarez possesses all these qualities in surplus and demonstrates them in compelling narratives from the heart of the conservation machine. An astounding achievement.”
—Paul Robbins, Dean, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin
“A fascinating critical exploration of words, power, and the power of words—figuring out how to make humans, especially decision-making ones, value the world they inhabit is an ongoing and crucial task.”
—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun
“Drawing on ten years of fieldwork inside major conservation organizations, Suarez illuminates how biologists have increasingly come to question the efficacy and ethics of the current ecosystem services paradigm, and to envision a more radical version focused on changing capitalism rather than working within it.”
—Rebecca Lave, former President of the American Association of Geographers; coauthor of Streams of Revenue
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