TOP STORY

Five Hidden Challenges to Ecosystem Markets
Fans of the Ecosystem Marketplace often complain of being slammed by the left for cavorting with markets and by the right for snuggling up to government. One prominent social scientist says an important challenge may come from ecosystem market supporters themselves – and from their failure to recognize the assumptions underlying both their own worldviews and those of potential allies.

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PROFILE

Jeff Hayward: Quantifying Carbon, Communities, and More The debate over Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) hinges on how to verify the amount of carbon captured in trees and how to determine whether the actions being paid for actually cause a net capture of carbon. It's sticky territory that Jeff Hayward first traversed while validating the then-nebulous concept of "sustainable" forestry, and he believes today's projects will only succeed if they think beyond carbon.

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FEATURED ARTICLES

SpeciesBanking.com: for all your species needs!
Real estate developers use species banks to offset their damage to nature by paying for newly-protected habitat. It's the ...
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Ecosystem Markets Finish Year on (Relatively) High Note
The global recession may have taken the wind out of prices for carbon offsets in 2008, but the mechanisms necessary ...
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New US Federal Office Puts Ecosystem Markets at Forefront of Resource Management
Ecosystem Marketplace has long envisioned a world in which farmers and ranchers are paid to save natural ecosystems that filter ...
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Poznan Talks Send Mixed Signal on Trees
Negotiators at last week's UN climate change talks in Poznan, Poland, finally agreed on one thing: namely, that plenty of ...
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Attempt at Clarity Muddles Wetland Waters
The US EPA and Army Corps of Engineers managed to forge rare agreement among developers, environmentalists, and wetland bankers. ...
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Talking Trees in Poznan: The Shape of Forests to Come
A slew of new tools, methodologies, and reports designed to support the markets for forest carbon were unveiled on Forest ...
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Is the Road Through Poznan Paved with Voluntary Carbon?
Voluntary and regional carbon reduction initiatives continue to save tropical rainforests by using them as carbon sinks – along the ...
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David Brand: Harnessing Markets to Save Forests, Old and New
Few people have influenced the growth of ecosystem markets like New Forests founder David Brand. His career, like the ...
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VCS Launches Land-Use Protocols
Forestry credits and land-use credits in general received a major boost today with the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) launching new ...
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PUBLICATIONS

EM Readers Weigh in on Economy

More than 75% of Ecosystem Marketplace readers responding to a recent survey believe the global economic slowdown will hurt voluntary carbon markets in the short term (although the big news may be that 11% believe the slowdown will actually help), while just over 50% believe it will harm the compliance markets. Still, more than two-thirds of practitioners responding have not altered their business plans.


EDITORIALS

In Search of the Missing Bobolink
We used to find these little birds nurturing their young in the prairie grass of North America, but now we're likely to find them in hayfields – often after mowing machines and grazing animals found them first. That prompted EcoAsset Markets and the University of Rhode Island to experiment with a "nature services exchange" that compensates farmers for idling their machines during mating season.


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Find out about the Katoomba Group's work on payments for ecosystem services in Africa and Tropical America