Predicting the Effect of Land-Use Policies on Wildlife Habitat Abundance

"Land-use change is arguably the most pervasive socioeconomic force driving the change and degradation of ecological systems and wildlife habitat. This paper integrates an econometric model of land use with a species-habitat association matrix to assess the effects of land use policies on land use changes and the resulting impacts on habitat abundance for 763 terrestrial vertebrates in four western states of the United States (California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho). Results suggest that if the goal is to protect biodiversity through habitat conservation, directly acquiring land and setting it aside for habitat preservation (e.g., by purchasing development rights) is more effective than policies that attempt to change the relative returns from different land uses." Copyright (c)2008 Canadian Agricultural Economics Society.