Tradable Set-Aside Requirements (TSARs): Conserving Spatially Dependent Environmental Amenities

Land conversion patterns can conflict with endangered species protection by fragmenting the landscape. Incentive mechanisms can help mitigate the threat of habitat fragmentation by aggregating landowner conservation decisions across the landscape. The optimal conservation strategy for endangered spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental & resource economics 2016-04, Vol.63 (4), p.719-744
Main Authors: Parkhurst, Gregory M., Shogren, Jason F., Crocker, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air pollution
Banking
Banking industry
Banks
Biodiversity
Credit policy
Economic models
Economic Policy
Economic statistics
Economic theory
Economics
Economics and Finance
Emissions trading
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered species
Environmental Economics
Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice
Environmental Management
Environmental policy
Environmental regulations
Habitat fragmentation
Habitats
Incentives
Land conservation
Land economics
Land use
Landowners
Opportunity costs
Pollution control
Protected species
Purchasing
Studies
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Land conversion patterns can conflict with endangered species protection by fragmenting the landscape. Incentive mechanisms can help mitigate the threat of habitat fragmentation by aggregating landowner conservation decisions across the landscape. The optimal conservation strategy for endangered species can target the most connected habitat cluster as an initial starting point, and then expand the conservation patch to maximize connectivity. Herein we present an incentive mechanism, the tradable set-aside requirements (TSARs), designed to target the low cost contiguous conservation landscape and share the burden of conservation among landowners. In the lab, we examine the performance of two land use conservation policies: TSARs, and the TSARs combined with an agglomeration bonus. Evaluated by economic and biological measures of efficiency, we find that TSARs, relative to a command and control policy, increases patch size and habitat connectivity within the landscape. Additionally, combining TSARS with the agglomeration bonus increases biological efficiency (habitat connectivity and patch size within the landscape) but at a price—higher opportunity cost. TSARs with the agglomeration bonus can be more cost-effective than a TSARs only policy for species sensitive to large core habitat requirements and landscape connectivity.
ISSN:0924-6460
1573-1502
DOI:10.1007/s10640-014-9826-4