Today, Conserv was provided the green light to proceed with design and implementation of an ecosystem services marketplace for the Rivanna Forests to Faucets (F2F) Initiative. The marketplace will provide a platform for landowners in the South Fork Rivanna River Reservoir watershed to bid conservation practices for ecosystem services payment funds through the F2F program.
Implementation [...]

Since the day after the December 9, 2009 Rappahannock River Basin Symposium, Incentivizing Restoration through a Chesapeake Bay Economy, during which 130 citizens concerned about the health of the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay examined a proposal to create a “Chesapeake Bay Economy” via a “Rappahannock Exchange”, Conserv has been busy working with parties on [...]

Yesterday, at the Chesapeake Bay Reathorization Hearing, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, amid impressive, heartfelt, bipartisan testimonies and commentaries of folks around the Bay, including Tom Perriello, Secretary Preston Bryant, and Gerry Connolly, were the words of Rob Wittman, and from EPA, Chuck Fox, sowing the seeds of a 21st century Bay-friendly economy:
Excerpt from [...]

Yesterday, environmental history was made at the Old Beale Memorial Church in Tappahannock, the oldest documented courthouse in Virginia. Surrounded by Flemish bond brickwork with salt-glazed headers and compass-headed windows, the Rappahannock River Basin Commission took the first step toward moving Virginia into the ranks of the leaders of the worldwide ecosystem services movement.
In a [...]

Next week, the Northwest Environmental Business Council and the American Forest Foundation will present a conference titled Ecosystem Markets, Making Them Work. Specific topics will include:

The role of ecosystem markets
The state of market development
The business opportunity
The international perspective
Policy issues in market design
Making regulatory markets work
Progress in developing market tools
Moving forward with voluntary markets
Case studies of [...]