The Economics of Private Land Conservation

On Wednesday, Oct 27, the East Kootenay Conservation Program is holding a workshop.  The theme of the workshop is The Economics of Private Land Conservation.  Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Wayne Stetski, Manager of the EKCP about the event.  According to Wayne, from a biological perspective we live in a very unique place in the world where both ungulates and large carnivores still co-exist. This is due to the combination of extensive crown and private lands.The EKCP role is to co-ordinate and facilitate private land conservation including ranch land and farmland.  Wayne is hoping that the workshop will bring new knowledge to the East Kootenays regarding how people can find a way to use conservation to benefit private land owners.  Some of the topics discussed will be carbon credit trading, federal tax incentives, and providing information on the marketing of ecological goods and services. To learn more about the EKCP go to their web site here http://www.ekcp.ca/