Marketing Environmentalism
The Free Market’s Opportunity in Conservation
By: Lindsye Murfin, Western Stock Growers’ Association
Canadians are increasingly being inundated with headlines that the grasslands are diminishing at an alarming rate. Calls for the conservation of this endangered ecosystem ring out left and right. The federal government is pushing climate change programs and proposing ‘thou shalt not’ regulations. The Canadian Cattle Association is taking the stance that conservation easements are the solution and is funding the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited. Whether any of these are long-term solutions is debatable and only time will tell.
As Stockgrowers’, we believe that the long-term solution is to address the root cause of grassland conversion. That is simply economics. Until more profit can be made by managing these lands under grazing than compared to other land uses, there will continue to be conversion. These other land uses can include but are not limited to, cash cropping and sub-dividing for rural residential, urban sprawl, infrastructure development, or any other industrial development.
Many scientists have shown that managed grasslands produce a whole suite of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, increased biodiversity, erosion prevention, pollination potential, water storage, water quality, and wildlife habitat. If ranchers were able to tap into a voluntary market for these ecosystem services, it would level the playing field and slow the conversion of grasslands.
That would be free-market environmentalism at work!
For the past three years, WSGA has been working on pilot programs that would develop a conservation market that would work in the best interests of the rancher. Over this short time, we have seen a ton of movement in the development of carbon, biodiversity, water quality, and other ecosystem service markets. We firmly believe the potential is there and the opportunity is growing.
As part of our pilot projects, we have researched and consulted several companies that are working strictly in the carbon market to see how we can add to the rest of the ecosystem services our members provide. Although we have yet to find a solution that works for our members, we have found that several aspects of these carbon markets are not something we can recommend to our membership; including:
Additionality: ranchers who are already doing a great job managing their grasslands should not have to implement additional practices to be eligible for payments.
Standards: We would rather see the program be outcome-based so that ranchers can be rewarded the full value of the ecosystem service, not a watered-down estimate based on prescribed practices
Easements: Easements or other specific regulations restrict management decisions, thus preventing ranchers from being adaptable.
Thomas Edison did not fail in inventing the incandescent lightbulb 1,000 times, rather he invented the incandescent lightbulb in 1,000 steps. In the same way, our pilots have put WSGA many steps down the path of developing a conservation market that will someday benefit our membership. We have gained valuable insights and we will continue to research carbon markets, government policy, and potential partners to find the best market approach that rewards ranchers for environmental benefits and keeps grasslands on the landscape.