Economic Tools for Conservation Training

In 2014, I got a scholarship to attend the ten-day training Economic Tools for Conservation led by the Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF). The training encompassed themes ranging from fisheries management and sustainable agriculture to business planning and finance mechanisms. Topics included principles and techniques to analyze, in a comprehensive way, the economic and environmental aspects of development projects and initiatives. The tools I learned helped me comprehend the connection between the conservation and management of natural resources with economic activities.

As part of the training, I attended a discussion panel with 30+ Mexican leaders from civil society organizations, non-profit managers, business people, authorities, scholars, and others working for the environment. I was part of the first cohort in Mexico. Environmental economics experts introduced us to economic theory. Along with case studies, my classmates and I reviewed the principles of natural resource economics, environmental economic valuation, payment for ecosystem services, environmental policies, and cost-benefit analysis.

In Puerto Peñasco, I conducted an economic valuation of the ecosystem services of a hypersaline wetland in the northern Gulf of California. I used economic valuation methods and cost-benefit analysis techniques I learned in the course. The final document offered a unique perspective on decision making.

CSF, founded in 1998, is a global leader in advancing conservation solutions that embrace economics. CSF believes that economics is a critical element for transforming conservation efforts by understanding the real tradeoffs of development, demonstrating the values of nature, and generating financially viable environmental solutions.