Presents

Jessica Fox

Senior Associate

EPRI Solutions, Inc.
Wednesday, May 18^th 2005

12:00-1:00 p.m.

Deans Conference Room, 2436, Bren Hall

“Making Money Protecting Endangered Species”

The ability to receive financial gains for protecting habitat on private property may provide the incentive necessary to proactively protect endangered species in the United States.

The practice of species conservation banking, the selling of 'credits' that represent biodiversity values on private land, is nearly a decade old. However, we only recently completed the first comprehensive report detailing the biological, financial, and political experience of conservation banking in the United States (Fox, J. & Nino-murcia. In press. Status of Species Conservation Banking in the United States. Conservation Biology). In this research we showed that there are 76 properties identified as 'conservation banks' in the United States that utilize 6 different legal agreement types. These conservation banks shelter a range of biodiversity including more than 22 species protected by the Endangered Species Act. Financial motives drove the foundation of 91% of banks and the majority of for-profit banks are breaking even or better.