Ecosystem Markets Conference

The American Forest Foundation and World Resources Institute are delighted to present the 4th annual national Ecosystem Markets Conference. Titled Ecosystem Markets: Making Them Work, the conference will be held in Madison, Wisconsin from June 29th to July 1st, 2011.

Using markets to protect and restore ecosystems–and the many services they provide–is gradually becoming a reality. But what are the critical elements for success, what progress has been made, what still needs to be done, and what are the remaining challenges? The conference goal is to enable experts, innovators, and hands-on users of these evolving market models to  learn about recent progress, what transactions can be done now, how these markets will affect family forests and other property owners, and how state and regional efforts can merge into a common model. Past conferences have enabled development and improvement of ecosystem market projects as a direct result of information gathered and relationships strengthened among participants and organizations.

The program will take place over 2 days to be followed by a field tour of operational ecosystem service credit generation projects–thereby providing a comprehensive information and networking opportunity for hands-on project developers and managers, landowners, policymakers, and academics.