WRP to host first Landscape Auction in USA

October 26, 2009

The WRP will host the first Landscape Auction in the United States in late-summer 2010. The WRP received grant funding from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and Forest Service to pilot this new market mechanism, which will be organized by Triple E, a Dutch consulting firm.

Landscape Auction

During a Landscape Auction, “buyers” place a bid for landscape elements, such as public access to a specific natural resource, the acquisition of threatened wildlife habitat, or the management of a working landscape, that are offered by conservation organizations. The concept was developed and implemented by Triple E with the aim of generating an additional revenue stream for nature conservation, since there exists a discrepancy between how we value our landscape and what we pay for it.

The successful bidder “adopts” the element by paying the landowner for the management costs related to the conservation and management of the respective landscape element for a given period of time. The buyer does not actually become the owner of the landscape element. The direct relationship between “what you get is what you see” sets it apart from other financing mechanisms. The concept is easily adaptable to different needs, for example by relating wildlife habitat or public access with Vermont’s working landscape.

Who Can Participate?

Any business, organization, or individual that is looking to safeguard public access, wildlife habitat, and/or the working landscape in the White River watershed, is invited to participate as a “buyer.” The White River Partnership is currently identifying potential auction items, and conducting outreach to interested landowners.

The Organizers

The auction itself will be organized by Expertise Centre Triple E. Triple E operates at the interface between ecology, economy, and the experience people gain through and from nature. The company provides advisory services and carries out projects that visualize and commercialize the economic potential of nature, amongst others, by structuring it into an investment asset – for example by organizing the marketplace for nature conservation at www.yourgoodnature.com.

For More Information

For more information about Landscape Auctions in general, visit the Triple E website. Contact us for more information about the Landscape Auction in the White River watershed.