Dr Andrew Balmford is Professor of Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, UK where he states “my research focuses on conservation planning, the costs and benefits of effective conservation, evaluating the success of conservation interventions, and exploring how conservation efforts might best be reconciled with other activities, especially in developing countries. I try to tackle these questions through fieldwork, analyses of large databases, and modelling, and strive to work with colleagues in other disciplines. I am also extremely keen on building close working relationships between conservation scientists and conservation practitioners” (see: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/zoostaff/balmford.htm ).