7887 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

FOREWORD Ever since environmentalism became a household word in the 1970s, conserva- tionists and economists have maintained a healthy distrust of one another. But America's patron saint of conservation, Aldo Leopold, rejected the notion that economists and ecologists should be at odds. In defining an environmental ethic for the country in his 1949 classic, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold offered this suggestion: Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and esthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise. It is noteworthy -and certainly not accidental -that Leopold included eco- nomic expediency as part of his environmental ethic. He recognized, as we must today, that there are limitations to what we can expect government regulation to achieve in the quest for environmental quality. Defenders of Wildlife has long been a strong supporter of a regulatory approach, particularly when dealing with species on the brink of extinction. We have lobbied actively for passage of conservation laws, and have filed lawsuits when necessary to enforce them. In recent years, however, we have become more aware of the limitations of a regulatory approach, particularly when dealing with private landowners. We've been encouraged by the success of our experimentation with other approaches, such as our Wolf Compensation Fund in the northern Rockies that compensates livestock producers for all verified livestock losses to wolves. This program has reduced polarization and increased public acceptance of wolf recovery. To the extent that fifty percent of the endangered species in the United States occur almost exclusively on private lands, it is clear that we must continue to seek more effective ways to meet our conservation goals. Our conversations with some of the nation's leading economists and endangered species experts have convinced us that the idea of building economic incentives into the Endangered Species Act merits more discussion. That conclusion has led us to share the thoughts of many of those experts via this publication. It goes without saying that the ideas expressed in the following pages represent the thinking of the contributors, not necessarily of Defenders, nor even of the agen- cies and organizations for whom they work. The important thing is that with this publication we have provided a forum for further discussion. v