Conservation and Biodiversity Banking

The conservation of biodiversity is now big business. Whether called conservation banking, species banking, habitat banking, biodiversity banking, biodiversity offsets, compensatory mitigation or ecological footprint offsetting, the idea of financially valuing biodiversity and using the market and businesses to promote conservation is growing rapidly. This handbook is a comprehensive guide to conservation banking explaining: what it is and how it works. The book covers the origins of conservation banking; the pros and cons of this approach to conservation, how conservation banking works in reality; the legal, practical and financial aspects of setting up and running a conservation bank; and how biodiversity off-sets can be internationalized. Authored by leading experts in the field of ecosystem markets, the book provides practical guidance, tools, case studies, analysis and insights into conservation banking in the United States, its biodiversity banking namesake in Australia and other similar approaches internationally. It is an essential one-stop reference manual for conservation organizations, private landowners, developers, complying industries, regulating agencies, policy makers, bank developers and investors in the US, Australia, Europe and elsewhere where market-based solutions to the loss of biodiversity and species extinction are being considered.

Jessica Fox is a Senior Scientist and Manager of the Eco-asset program at EPRI Solutions in Palo Alto, California, USA.