Since pledges to finance biodiversity preservation are a fraction of the identified needs, scientists must develop tools to help prioritize the many goals. Analysts and policy makers often describe this problem with the “Noah’s Ark” metaphor to imply that society must choose how much and which specific components of biodiversity to save. Since the relevant economic models frequently don’t capture the complexity and interrelatedness that enrich ecological perspectives and the ecological models often ignore the anthropogenic aspects that drive economic analysis, I develop a microeconomic framework for prioritizing species conservation policies that advances the integration of these two perspectives. I start with Weitzman’s (Econometrica 1998) “Noah’s Ark” model and build upon Perry’s (EcolEcon 2010) and Arponen’s (BiodiversConserv 2012) work so as to include ecological concerns. I demonstrate this methodology with two examples related to Keoladeo National Park (India). First, I look at maintaining the Gambhir River’s natural flow instead of impounding it behind the Panchana Dam so as to help re-establish the Siberian Crane at the Park and, second, I investigate enhancing the Sarus Crane population by protecting the satellite wetlands that are part of the Park’s overall ecosystem.
