THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF CONSERVATION: USING ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY

摘要

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. Despite nearly a century of propaganda, conservation still proceeds at a snail's pace; . . ."' Sixty-eight years after his death, the words of Aldo Leopold resonate loudly today as mankind continues to struggle to find the balance between production and preservation. Industrialization has allowed humans to build and progress, but has also compromised air and water quality in the process of development. Air quality concerns have largely been linked to greenhouse gas emissions from cars and power plants. Large scale agriculture, though, has been a centerpiece for discussing water quality issues. The Farm Bill and Clean Water Act have allowed for a voluntary approach to mitigation of water pollution from agriculture.2 Yet allowing farmersto pick and choose when and how they implement conservation practices into their operations has not led to a decrease in water contamination from agriculture.3 Therefore, the proposal for stricter regulations in agriculture has gained momentum in the academic and political arenas. Nevertheless, these proposals have been met with strong opposition from the agricultural industry, creating adversarial strains between producers and environmentalists.