The authors conclude that direct payment approaches are not "silver bullets" that can be applied immediately and easily in all situations. However, people will generally do what is in their own interest, particularly their short-term interest. If they can receive more benefits from clearing an area of habitat than they could from protecting it, they will clear it. The conservation community must reconsider its attempts to provide biodiversity through indirect means. If we want to get what we pay for, we must start tying our investments directly to our goals.
