If people were designing conservation strategies, what are some good ideas to put the emphasis?  Many ecologists would like to move away from protecting individual endangered species to...

The most effective means of conservation is to reduce human consumption of earth's resources. This means paying attention to how we consume and use food, water, land, minerals and other natural resources. The protection of endangered species is not necessarily a key aspect to the conservation of ecosystems. Moreover, endangered species are best protected by reducing the human pull on resources that such species require. For example, in order to reconstitute the Amazonian ecosystem, it is necessary for humans to stop encroaching upon native species' habitats. This means reducing commercial endavors such as timber milling. At the root of most conservation ideas is the central idea of reducing human consumption of material resources in order to maintain balanced, thriving ecosystems around the world.