Conservation Economics Institute
Economic solutions for conservation today, a brighter future tomorrow.
Conservation Funding Crisis
CEI was commissioned to examine trends in funding for three primary federal land management agencies: the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). We found that federal funding for conservation activities on public lands, including protection and restoration of landscapes and support for outdoor recreation, is not keeping up with environmental stressors and rapidly increasing visitation. If these funding trends continue, public lands are at risk of dramatic declines in recreational opportunities and environmental quality.
Economics Values and Contributions of Roadless Areas
A new study from the Conservation Economics Institute (CEI) details the economic contributions of national and regional roadless areas. Roadless areas are a critical part of our national protected lands system, supplying clean drinking water for millions of people, backcountry recreational opportunities, and critically important fish and wildlife connectivity.
Conservation Economics: The Value of Protected Lands and Wilderness
Dr. Evan Hjerpe spoke at the 2016 University of Montana’s Wilderness Institute Lecture Series: What’s the Wild Worth? His talk, "Conservation Economics: The Value of Protected Lands and Wilderness,” delves into what conservation economics is and why it is needed now more than ever.
Review of Economic Analysis for a Proposed Takeover of Federal Lands
In addition to conducting and submitting an economic analysis of a proposed federal lands takeover to the Idaho State legislature, CEI also reviewed the state’s own economic analysis. The legislature requested that the Policy Analysis Group at the University of Idaho examine the economics of HR 22. Because the university’s analysis suffered from many critical economic deficiencies, CEI worked with the Idaho Conservation League to make sure the state legislature was aware of the problems.