Economic impacts of conservation area strategies in Alberta, Canada: A CGE model analysis

P. Withey, Van Lantz, T. Ochuodho, M.N. Patriquin, J. Wilson and M. Kennedy

Journal of Forest Economics, 2018, vol. 33, issue C, 33-40

Abstract: Establishing conservation areas to protect biodiversity often results in economic trade-offs from reduced market opportunities for natural resource extraction. The purpose of this study was to quantify the economic impacts of two proposed conservation area scenarios in the Lower Peace Region of Alberta to determine the potential magnitude of the economic trade-offs. The first scenario, known as the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP), was proposed by the Government of Alberta under the Alberta Land-use Framework. The second scenario, referred to as the alternative scenario, was developed by the authors using a spatial land-use rationalization process. Economic impacts of each conservation area scenario were estimated using a dynamic, computable general equilibrium model for the province of Alberta. Results indicated that the two scenarios will have very similar impacts and may reduce the present value of GDP by as much as $4.44 billion in Alberta from 2011–2056. These findings highlight the importance of considering the economic impacts of conservation area strategies in order to minimize the trade-offs associated with achieving conservation goals.

Keywords: Conservation; Land conversion; Computable General equilibrium; Canada (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C68 Q23 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1104689918301302
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:foreco:v:33:y:2018:i:c:p:33-40

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/701775/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 701775/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.jfe.2018.10.004

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Forest Economics is currently edited by P. Gong and R. Brännlund

More articles in Journal of Forest Economics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().