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Should We Be Wary of Mitigation Banking? Evidence Regarding the Risks Associated with this Wetland Offset Arrangement in Florida

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  • Levrel, Harold
  • Scemama, Pierre
  • Vaissière, Anne-Charlotte

Abstract

This paper describes and analyzes the risks associated with using mitigation banking for the conservation of wetlands in Florida in the United States. First, we attempt to identify and summarize the main ecological and socio-economic risks regarding mitigation banking that have been discussed in previous studies. Then we analyze the institutional responses adopted by US regulators to limit these risks. We have used empirical evidence including interviews and data analysis to assess the effectiveness of these responses. Our main findings are that the recent regulatory responses adopted to face risks associated with mitigation banking seem to be more effective than what is often assumed. These responses are underpinned by the emergence of a hybrid mode of governance that combines market characteristics and regulatory constraints, and which contributes to enforcing wetland compensation in Florida. However, we also observed some risks inherent in this system, in particular the redistribution of ecosystem services, as the distance between impact sites and compensation sites seems to have increased in Florida in the last several years. In addition, the question is still pending regarding whether or not No Net Loss of wetlands is really achieved through mitigation banking.

Suggested Citation

  • Levrel, Harold & Scemama, Pierre & Vaissière, Anne-Charlotte, 2017. "Should We Be Wary of Mitigation Banking? Evidence Regarding the Risks Associated with this Wetland Offset Arrangement in Florida," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 136-149.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:135:y:2017:i:c:p:136-149
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.12.025
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vaissière, Anne-Charlotte & Quétier, Fabien & Calvet, Coralie & Levrel, Harold & Wunder, Sven, 2020. "Biodiversity offsets and payments for environmental services: Clarifying the family ties," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    2. Gallemore, Caleb & Jespersen, Kristjan & Olmsted, Paige, 2022. "Harnessing relational values for global value chain sustainability: Reframing the roundtable on sustainable palm oil's offset mechanism to support smallholders," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Sebastian Theis & Mark S. Poesch, 2022. "Assessing Conservation and Mitigation Banking Practices and Associated Gains and Losses in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-24, May.
    4. Marie Grimm & Johann Köppel, 2019. "Biodiversity Offset Program Design and Implementation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Catharina Druckenbrod & Volker Beckmann, 2018. "Production-Integrated Compensation in Environmental Offsets—A Review of a German Offset Practice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, November.
    6. Vaz, João & Coria, Jessica & Inkinen, Ville, 2026. "Environmental offsetting: What drives the choice of offset mechanism in the US Wetland Mitigation Program?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    7. Cole, Scott & Moksnes, Per-Olav & Söderqvist, Tore & Wikström, Sofia A. & Sundblad, Göran & Hasselström, Linus & Bergström, Ulf & Kraufvelin, Patrik & Bergström, Lena, 2021. "Environmental compensation for biodiversity and ecosystem services: A flexible framework that addresses human wellbeing," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    8. Gösta F. M. Baganz & Daniela Baganz, 2023. "Compensating for Loss of Nature and Landscape in a Growing City—Berlin Case Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, February.
    9. Martin Drechsler, 2022. "On the Cost-Effective Temporal Allocation of Credits in Conservation Offsets when Habitat Restoration Takes Time and is Uncertain," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(2), pages 437-459, June.
    10. Keisaku Higashida & Kenta Tanaka & Shunsuke Managi, 2024. "Who pays and who should pay for the uncertain conservation cost in biodiversity banking programs: evidence from a laboratory experiment," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(9), pages 22473-22498, September.
    11. Drechsler, Martin, 2021. "On the cost-effective temporal allocation of credits in conservation offsets when habitat restoration takes takes time and is uncertain," MPRA Paper 108209, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Vaissière, Anne-Charlotte & Levrel, Harold & Pioch, Sylvain, 2017. "Wetland mitigation banking: Negotiations with stakeholders in a zone of ecological-economic viability," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 512-518.
    13. Bellanger, Manuel & Fonner, Robert & Holland, Daniel S. & Libecap, Gary D. & Lipton, Douglas W. & Scemama, Pierre & Speir, Cameron & Thébaud, Olivier, 2021. "Cross-sectoral externalities related to natural resources and ecosystem services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    14. Kangas, Johanna & Ollikainen, Markku, 2019. "Economic Insights in Ecological Compensations: Market Analysis With an Empirical Application to the Finnish Economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 54-67.
    15. Dmytro Kovalenko & Olga Afanasieva & Nani Zabuta & Tetiana Boiko & Rosen Rosenov Baltov, 2021. "Model of Assessing the Overdue Debts in a Commercial Bank Using Neuro-Fuzzy Technologies," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, May.

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