Conservation markets for wildlife management with case studies from whaling

• Published in: Ecological Applications
• Main Authors: Gerber, Leah R., Costello, Christopher, Gaines, Steven D
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2014
• Subjects: Ecology; Balaena mysticetus; Balaenoptera acutorostrata
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/12-1919.1; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1890%2F12-1919.1; https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1890/12-1919.1

Although market‐based incentives have helped resolve many environmental challenges, conservation markets still play a relatively minor role in wildlife management. Establishing property rights for environmental goods and allowing trade between resource extractors and resource conservationists may offer a path forward in conserving charismatic species like whales, wolves, turtles, and sharks. In this paper, we provide a conceptual model for implementing a conservation market for wildlife and evaluate how such a market could be applied to three case studies for whales (minke [ Balaenoptera acutorostrata ], bowhead [ Balaena mysticetus ], and gray [ Eschrictius robustus ]). We show that, if designed and operated properly, such a market could ensure persistence of imperiled populations, while simultaneously improving the welfare of resource harvesters.