On October 30, 2014 keynote speakers from around the country and experts from the Gund Institute will present the most up-to-date information regarding the economics of conservation in Vermont. Held at the National Life Cafeteria in Montpelier the event features keynotes by Steve Polasky and Sean McGuire, with breakout working groups on: Return on Conservation Investment; The Economics of Fragmentation – Framing Research Needs; and Communicating Conservation Values: From State Policy to Project Evaluation. Breakout groups are designed for ANR and Fish & Wildlife staff and will be led by Sean McGuire, Michael Snyder, Gund Fellows: Jon Erickson, Joe Roman, and Gund Graduate Fellows: Mairi-Jane Fox and Keri Bryan.
This workshop is the cumulation of a joint ANR-Gund project that examined the economic return of environmental conservation in Vermont. Led by Joe Roman, Jon Erickson, Keri Bryan and Mairi-Jane Fox the project was designed to understand the impacts of conservation and regulation on Vermont’s economy, and develop science-based messages that focus on the economic benefits of land-use regulation to the state’s economy and brand.
The State of Vermont is renowned for its small towns, rural landscape, strong sense of place, and close connection to the land. Wild and conserved areas in Vermont provide economic and environmental benefits that often exceed the opportunity costs associated with conservation. However, benefits from conservation are not always obvious. We can easily quantify the economic impacts of the forest industry, but often lack robust knowledge on the value of standing forests in other functions such as soil retention, carbon sequestration, and water purification. Typically, land-use decisions are made without fully accounting for these ecosystem services and natural capital provided by open land. Monetary value alone cannot capture the intangible value of forests and other natural surroundings, but understanding the services they provide can help inform policies and legislation within local and state governments, as well as land-use decisions by local landowners and businesses.
With its high percentage of forested and protected areas, Vermont produces ecosystem services that benefit the state and country. Understanding and communicating such messages can highlight how states with strong environmental regulations and environmental policies can have more durable and resilient economies than states with weaker regulations. Results from this joint project center on understanding and communicating the value of conservation in ways that are based on science while resonating with Vermonters of all backgrounds and beliefs.
For more information please contact:
Joe Roman: Joe.Roman@uvm.edu
Jon Erickson: Jon.Erickson@uvm.edu
Presenters:
Steve Polasky is a member of the Environmental Economics Advisory Committee and the Committee on Valuing the Protection of Ecological Systems and Services for the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. EPA and a member of The Nature Conservancy's Science Council. At the University of Minnesota, Steve holds the Fesler-Lampert Chair in Ecological/Environmental Economics.
Sean McGuire worked for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources before moving to Corvallis, Oregon. For the last seven years, Sean was the Director of Sustainability Policies. In 2009 Sean initiated Maryland's Genuine Progress Indicator and continues to be a national leader on alternative, more comprehensive gauges of true prosperity.
Keri Bryan is a PhD candidate in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and a Graduate Fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at UVM. While earning her BS her research focused on the effects of exurban development on biodiversity. For a year post-graduation, she has work on a Payments for Ecosystem Services project in rural Haiti. She is broadly interested in how development can be balanced with the conservation of ecosystem services and biodiversity. As a graduate student at UVM, her research focuses on quantifying and mapping ecosystem services across the state of Vermont.
Jon Erickson is a Professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and Fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at UVM. He has published widely on energy & climate change policy, land conservation, watershed planning, environmental public health, and the theory and practice of ecological economics.
Mairi-Jane Fox is a PhD candidate in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and a Graduate Fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at UVM. A former teacher and dedicated researcher, Mairi-Jane Fox holds a Masters of Science in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh and undergraduate degree from the University of Texas. With a global background, she has researched carbon capture and storage, corporate social responsibility, education theory, well-being and work, and heterodox economic theories and measurement tools.
Joe Roman is a conservation biologist and author with research interests in biodiversity and ecosystem services, biological invasions, marine population genetics, and marine ecology. His broad research interests span endangered species policy, marine mammals, and biodiversity and human health. He is a Hrdy Visiting Fellow in Conservation Biology at Harvard University, Mary Derrickson McCurdy Visiting Scholar at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics and researcher at the Rubenstein School for the Environment and Natural Resources at UVM.
Michael Snyder was the Chittenden County forester from 1997 until he was appointed Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation in the Agency of Natural Resources in December of 2010. He is also a lecturer with the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and a columnist with Northern Woodlands Magazine.