I joined WildCRU
in 2004 to work on the economics of agri-environmental schemes. The
project scoped the possibility of improving the efficiency of conservation
work on farmland in order to gain the greatest social and biodiversity
benefits for the least cost in terms of agricultural production and
capital outlay. This included examining farmer participation, methods
of combining ecological modeling with economic values, public use of
and preferences for their local environment and the effect of education
on those preferences.
I continue to be
involved in a variety of projects pertaining to biodiversity economics
including the tourism benefits of beaver reintroductions and the south-east
Asian trade in wildlife.
I am currently examining the theory that farming wild species for their products reduces the economic pressure to harvest their wild counterparts. This work involves the collation of much needed data and subsequent empirical analysis. This work began with an investigation into the substitutability of farmed and wild Atlantic salmon in the UK. I am now preparing for a three-year investigation into this topic in which I will be testing the assumptions made on either side of the debate.
