Why we're seeing the beginning of a multi-billion dollar ecosystem marketplace

A little-noticed announcement by the U.S. Department of Interior in late 2015 reflects an emerging paradigm shift in natural resource conservation – and the role market-based solutions will play as the nation ramps up efforts to save America’s imperiled species and landscapes. The new initiative to launch a Natural Resource Investment Center comes as the federal government seeks to develop creative private-sector financing opportunities for environmental protection that will, in turn, spur economic development. The center will tap markets to boost landscape-wide conservation efforts. It will primarily focus on water resources, but also seek private-sector investments to protect habitats on public and private land...more