Philip J. Boon is a Policy and Advice Director at the Scottish Natural Heritage. He is founder and Chief Editor of the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.

Catherine M. Pringle is a Research Professor in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. She serves as Chair of the Conservation Ecology Graduate Program at UGA and has been a recipient of their Creative Research Medal.

Freshwater is a valuable resource for human populations, and has many uses such as water for drinking, hydroelectric power and recreation. This creates conflict between conservation and exploitation. This book explores various aspects of conservation evaluation, including the selection of important areas for protection, responding to threats from catchment development, and determining the restoration potential of degraded water bodies. Aimed at academic researchers, graduate students and professionals, chapters are written by pairs of UK and US authors, who compare methods used for evaluating rivers and lakes for conservation in these countries who share a long history of freshwater science, but approach nature conservation very differently. Sweden, Australia and South Africa are also examined, and there is a chapter on developing countries, allowing examination of the role of social and economic conditions in conservation ethics.