THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE REVISITED: ITS INTERPRETATIONS AND THEIR CONSERVATION CONSEQUENCES

The precautionary principle was included in 1992 in the Rio Declaration and is part of important international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Yet, it is not a straight-forward guide for environmental policy because many interpretations are possible as shown in this paper. Its different economic versions can result in conflicting policy recommendations about resource conservation. The principle does not always favor (natural) resource conservation (e.g., biodiversity conservation) although it has been adopted politically on the assumption it does. The principle's consequences are explored for biodiversity conservation when the introduction of new genotypes is possible.