Prof Andreas Kontoleon (Department of Land Economy and CEENRG, Cambridge University) co-hosted the 22st annual BIOECON conference on the economics of biodiversity conservation between the 17th and the 18th of September 2021. This year’s conference was titled “Integrated natural and social science for conserving biodiversity and protecting human health” and was co-hosted with the University of Wyoming (Colleges of Business and of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The event was held in a hybrid manner with in person delegates gathering at the impressive Snow King Resort in Jackson Wyoming making the first BioEcon conference to be hosted in the USA. The event also accommodated online delegates participating virtually from all around the world. In total there were 269 delegates from academia, government, NGOs and the policy world at large.
The programme consisting of parallel, policy and plenary sessions covered topics at the core of the Network’s focus, ranging from land-use change to biodiversity measurement, from fisheries to forestry to wildlife management, and from sustainability to natural capital via intergenerational equity. Around 80 scientific papers were presented in parallel sessions.
Keynote speakers to the event were Prof Simon Levin (Princeton University) and Prof Heidi J. Albers (University of Wyoming). A special session in memory of the work of Prof John Tschirhart was also included in the programme. Details of the 2021 conference can be found at: www.bioecon-network.org or contact Prof Andreas Kontoleon (ak219@cam.ac.uk).
Many thanks especially to the local organisers and led by Prof Steve Newbold of the University of Wyoming. Keep following the BIOECON network on twitter at @bioecon1