The Economics of Public Lands & Protected Areas

Public lands have historically operated under multiple-use mandates ranging from mining to grazing to recreation to conservation. The multiple uses of public lands have various economic ramifications and distributional effects for adjacent communities and for the public. In this presentation, join Evan Hjerpe as he shows how economic activities on public lands affect regional economies, summarizes recent research conducted on the economic influence of protected areas, and illustrates economic transitions occurring in and near public lands.

About the Speaker: Evan Hjerpe is the founder and Director of the Conservation Economics Institute (CEI), a non-profit research organization. He holds a Ph.D. in forest economics and management from Northern Arizona University, where he also was a visiting assistant professor. His expertise includes conservation benefits, regional economics, public lands policy, and recreation economics. Evan has consulted for private businesses, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and universities and has authored numerous journal articles and technical reports.

About Naturalist Nights:

Each winter, ACES partners with Wilderness Workshop and Roaring Fork Audubon to co-host the popular Naturalist Nights speaker series, bringing a great line-up of experts to explore topics of the natural world with our community.

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