| | Chandeleur Island Lighthouse, 1985 (Photo by Sandra Shanklin) |
| | | Chandeleur Island Lighthouse, July 2005 (Photo by Rex H. Caffey) |
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A newly established cooperative of LSU AgCenter scientists is gaining national recognition in the rapidly expanding field of natural resource economics and policy. The Center for Natural Resource Economics and Policy (CNREP) received final approval from the LSU Board of Supervisors and Louisiana Board of Regents in October 2005.
The history of this center, however, dates back to December 2000, when the Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness became the first LSU AgCenter academic unit to integrate research and extension faculty in the same department.
“We began collaborating on day one,” said Rex Caffey, a wetlands and coastal resources economist in the department and director of the center. “We knew we had the basic elements of what could be a unique and valuable center. We just needed a few years to build the critical mass needed to justify a formal proposal.”
The spark came in 2003, when Caffey and other faculty in the department described the idea to LSU AgCenter Chancellor William Richardson during a departmental review. “He immediately recognized CNREP for its value, and he insisted that we move forward rapidly to expedite the proposal,” Caffey said.
Today, CNREP includes 14 cooperators from four departments, one state agency and five universities. The majority of the cooperators are from the LSU AgCenter’s agricultural economics department, including eight faculty members. The other departments are the School of Renewable Natural Resources, the School of the Coast & Environment, Louisiana Sea Grant College and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
The other universities are Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, the University of Texas and the University of Georgia.
Since the inception of CNREP, the cooperators have produced more than 325 research and extension publications and 400 professional presentations and have obtained more than $5 million in funding from 37 public and private sources.
“There’s a growing recognition at the state and national levels that resource management cannot be limited to the realm of natural science,” said CNREP cofounder Richard Kazmierczak, an LSU AgCenter associate professor of agricultural economics. “This is especially true in Louisiana, where there’s increasing controversy over the economic valuation and allocation of natural resources, whether they be wetlands, energy, fisheries, wildlife, forests, land or water.”
Mike Dunn, an LSU AgCenter associate professor, said CNREP provides a basis for dealing with the economic aspects of resource use and conservation in the areas of forest, wildlife and energy as well as with all aspects of water.
“There’s no reason for the LSU AgCenter not to be the premier land-grant organization that deals with the economic and policy aspects of natural resources,” Dunn said.
Steve Henning, an LSU AgCenter associate professor, said he expects CNREP to help people become more aware and identify and prioritize research and outreach needs.
“There’s an opportunity to get into the process early with data to help make decisions,” he said.
Henning said agricultural economists traditionally worked with land management and production economics. Now, most issues have elements of resource policy.
“We’re looking at land management with emphasis on resource use and allocation,” he said. He said those activities readily translate to other resource issues.
“When policy makers look at the coast, for example, most discussion focuses on physical and technical issues,” Henning said. “We can help them consider the financial considerations and the social impacts on people.”
Calling it a research cooperative and a center without walls, Caffey said the CNREP’s purpose is to contribute to the efficient management and sustainability of Louisiana’s natural resources by bringing together social science researchers from diverse program areas, including energy, coastal and inland wetlands, fisheries, forests, wildlife, and soil and water.
“Louisiana is the best place for this sort of research,” Caffey said. “It’s the terminus of one of the world’s largest river systems – a region well-known for its natural productivity.”
In recent years, the work of CNREP cooperators has expanded into collaborations with colleagues from around the nation, including faculty at such prominent institutions as Cornell University, Yale University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, Mass.
CNREP Projects
- Benefits and Costs of Wetland Restoration
Costs, Revenue, and Value of Louisiana Oyster Leases
Estimating Land Rights Costs of Restoration Projects
Economic Implications of Fisheries By-catch
Resources Damages from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Structure and Management of Northern Gulf Fisheries
Public Acquisition of Coastal Lands for Recreation
Legal Analysis of Property Rights and Compensation
Feasibility Assessment of Rapid Restoration Technologies
Bioeconomics of Biofuel Feedstocks
Economics of Nonpoint-source Pollution Control
Incentives for Private Wetland Stewardship
Economics of Wildlife-associated Recreation
Adoption of Environmental Best Management Practices
Evolution of Conservation Policy in the U.S. Farm Bill Rick Bogren
(This article was published in the spring 2007 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.) |