Establishment of conservation areas has become a standard strategy for protecting biodiversity. Different categories are distinguished, such as those that aim at enhancing local participation. Although rapid evolution has taken place since the 1970s, stimulating participation still challenges conservationists. Understanding the complex issues impacting on participation is a first step in finding more effective methods of conservation. The present article addresses this issue by contrasting farmer and conventional perspectives on conservation. A differentiation between ecologically oriented biodiversity conservation perspectives and livelihood-oriented resource diversity perspectives is proposed. A case study from western Mexico illustrates both perspectives. The first perspective is based on a dichotomized view separating nature from land use. The second is related to the process of co-production between farmers and nature, which results in landscape diversity. Effective participation requires effective interfaces between both perspectives, recognizing farmers' creative capacities with reference to co-production of biodiversity.