Conservation Economics Institute

Services

CEI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering clients independent research and analytical services examining the interface of conservation and economics. CEI discovers solutions that are beneficial for both communities and nature, always striving towards sustainability. By providing research, outreach, and expertise, we aim to bring applied economics to inform conservation approaches.

Conservation economic solutions will certainly benefit future generations, but are critical for society right now in saving resources and funds. 

What We Do

We develop, support, and defend objective conservation solutions that create economic opportunities today, while maintaining and improving our natural environment for tomorrow. Pulling from years of combined conservation economics experience, we apply numerous statistical, market, and non-market methods to inform businesses, policy, and the public.

Conservation economics becomes even more valuable when deployed at workshops, collaborative meetings, and in public arenas. CEI provides education, outreach, and important contributions to the discipline of conservation economics.

Conservation Economics?

Conservation economics is the investigation of how human welfare and the natural environment interact over time, with an eye towards the future.  Specifically, conservation economics can be defined as the valuation of maintenance and repair of the natural environment for opportunities in the future. 

Conservation economics builds on the most operational and solution-oriented approaches from environmental economics and ecological economics, understanding that sustainability must be approached at local and global scales. 

News & Publications

Forest Density Preferences of WUI Homebuyers

Taxpayer-funded wildfire management costs have ballooned to more than $3 billion annually, tripling in the last 15 years.  While increasing risk and size of wildfires are driving up management costs, the biggest culprit for skyrocketing fire management funds is the rapid development of wildland-urban interfaces (WUI).  CEI worked with the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University to determine how forest density and associated wildfire risk are incorporated into WUI house prices by investigating the influence of surrounding tree density on WUI house values.

How Much is an Old-Growth Forest Worth?

Conservation values such as old growth preservation and ecological restoration of degraded forests are typically not included in the financial accounting of a forest’s value.  We investigated the willingness to pay of Alaskans to protect old growth forests scheduled for harvest and their demand for forest and stream restoration on the Tongass National Forest.  We found the average Alaskan household was willing to pay $150 for preserving old growth and limiting old growth harvests in the future.  We also found strong preference for all three conservation programs as compared to the status quo.