This publication "Shifting the Power: Decentralization and Biodiversity Conservation" was written by Barbara Wyckoff-Baird, Andrea Kaus, Catherine A. Christen, and Margaret Keck, and produced by the Biodiversity Support Program (BSP)in 2000. It examines the links between decentralization and conservation and presents several case studies. The study examines the experiences of governments, local communities, and conservation organizations in negotiating new relationships when decentralization has changed the political context for environmental management. The authors examined these experiences through a focus on the institutional arrangements created, the balances of power among stakeholders, and the capacities of institutions to undertake their newly defined roles and responsibilities.