USDA, DOI, AND AFWA SIGN HABITAT CREDIT TRADING AGREEMENT

Agreement Offers Farmers and Ranchers Market-based Incentives
To Preserve Endangered or At-Risk Species Habitat

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2007—USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster, DOI Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall, and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Executive Director Matt Hogan today signed a partnership agreement to evaluate endangered species habitat credit trading as supplemental way to preserve endangered species habitat. Through cooperative conservation efforts, the signing agencies will explore ways to coordinate related programs and activities to assist habitat credit trading markets as way to increase the conservation of endangered or at-risk species habitat.

“Habitat credit trading is a great way to restore, protect and promote conservation of lands that are home to endangered species,” Lancaster said. “We all benefit from healthy ecosystems. Allowing landowners to earn additional revenue for their conservation efforts is the future of sound environmental stewardship.”

Habitat credit banks act a lot like a savings account but instead of money, credits are earned for land preservation of the habitat. The credits can then be sold to land use industries or others, who are required to mitigate the loss of habitat by the Endangered Species Act and other laws that restrict or prohibit development. This market-based approach offers incentives to landowners who preserve and enhance the habitat of endangered or at-risk species. While preserving habitat, landowners can profit by selling credits to parties who need to compensate for environmental impacts.

Conservation banking creates an opportunity for landowners to generate income for their contribution to the preservation of endangered or at-risk species habitat. Providing an opportunity for landowners to earn additional revenue for the stewardship of their land will lead to an increase of preserved habitat. The preservation or enhancement of open space benefits the public and the entire community since habitat banks ensure improvements and preservation of other vital ecosystem services that contribute to air and water quality.

USDA’s Farm Bill Proposal calls for improving and increasing funding of conservation programs to better serve farmers, the environment, and all U.S. citizens. The Administration’s 2007 Farm Bill Proposals include additional funding to invest in the development of ecosystem service markets to protect our natural resources, such as habitat credit trading.

Allowing the market to determine the price per credit by using the principle of supply and demand offers incentives that generate interest among a greater number of participants, which will expand endangered species habitat to more acres of working lands. Private sector habitat credit banks complement existing federally supported conservation efforts by creating additional revenue for participants.

Private, Tribal, State and local government lands are eligible to become conservation banks. For more information on the market based approach and the NRCS strategic plan please go online to: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/strategicplan/. The FWS comprehensive guidelines designed to promote conservation banks as a tool for mitigating adverse impacts to endangered species can be found at: http://endangered.fws.gov/policies/conservation-banking.pdf.

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