A Field Guide to Economics for Conservationists

Why do conservationists need a field guide to economics on their shelves alongside the well-loved bird and plant guides? 

Two reasons, really. First, the economic decisions people make every day are at the core of the world’s conservation issues: climate change, Amazonian deforestation, tiger poaching, vulture declines in Asia, and countless others. Second, and more importantly, an understanding of the economic forces behind these decisions can help conservationists safeguard biodiversity in a more sophisticated and effective way. 

The authors use simple illustrations, examples from around the world, and readable (occasionally irreverent) prose to describe the central economic principles that are relevant to conservation. They assume no previous economic training. This primer is for conservationists of all stripes―scientists, activists, staff members of nonprofits and government agencies―who want to understand and use economic concepts in their work. It can also be used in college and graduate courses. 

Brendan Fisher is a Research Associate Professor at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. He spends much of his nonworking time playing hockey, soccer, and board games with his three children. Brendan’s research focus is on the nexus of economics, ecosystem services, human behavior, and poverty alleviation. He is a senior fellow at the World Wildlife Fund and a fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) at the University of East Anglia.  Brendan graduated the 8th grade from St. Joseph’s School in Aston, Pennsylvania, with a solid B in social studies.

Robin Naidoo is Canadian and therefore gives this book a modicum of credibility. For the last decade he has worked as a conservation scientist for the World Wildlife Fund, investigating the ecology, economics, and conservation of biodiversity. He works closely with the Community-Based Natural Resources Management Program in Namibia, where he gets to collar large and dangerous wildlife, to the chagrin of his office-based coauthors. He is an adjunct professor in the Institute of Resources, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia; fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) at the University of East Anglia; and a fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont. 

Taylor Ricketts is professor and director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont. That makes him sound like an economist, but he really is a biologist who could have used this book to avoid a decade of trying to understand his coauthors. His research focuses on the overarching issue, How do we meet the needs of people and nature in an increasingly crowded, changing world? Specific work includes estimating the economic benefits provided to people by forests, wetlands, reefs, and other natural areas. In addition to his work at the Gund Institute, Taylor is a senior fellow at World Wildlife Fund. He considers the bees he studies to be equally impressive―and easier to collar―than Namibian wildlife.