Habitat Banking

Here in the US this is not a new concept. Laws protecting wetlands have given rise to a billion dollar industry involving 400 wetland habitats. The idea is gaining momentum in in the UK, Australia, and other European countries in an attempt to please both developers and conservationists. Basically alternative habitats (for wildlife) are created to offset the impacts of land development (for humans). Banks getting into the act allow conservationists and financiers to invest in protecting areas, earning “offset credits” that can be banked for future sale to developers wanting to exploit some other habitat. Sounds complicated to me but despite the fact that there is no guarantee that the wildlife will approve of being moved to newer habitats, there have been successes. That makes this idea worth a try since developers seem to wait for no one, when profit it is involved. It’s encouraging to see this concept go global and I hope more countries will get in on it as a way to conserve the diversity of wildlife with which we share this planet.