Conservation biology is concerned with the application of ecological and biological science to the conservation and protection of Earth's biodiversity. Conservation biology is a relatively recent field of scientific activity, having emerged during the past several decades in response to the accelerating biodiversity crisis. Conservation biology represents an integration of theory, basic and applied research, and broader educational goals. It includes much of ecology but extends it with social sciences, policy, and management.

The most important cause of the biodiversity crisis is the disturbance of natural habitats, particularly through the conversion of tropical forests into agricultural habitats. Biodiversity is also greatly threatened by the excessive hunting of certain species, by commercial forestry, by climate change, and by other stressors associated with human activities, such as air and water pollution. A central goal of conservation biology is to discover ways of avoiding or repairing the damages that...