Google Map of Event Location

Katoomba IX: Making the Priceless Valuable

Portland, Oregon, United States

The Pacific Northwest is increasingly ripe for a regional conference to further spur and galvanize emerging efforts to form conservation banks, carbon markets, water quality trading schemes, and other attempts to improve environmental conditions through market mechanisms. A recent climate change conference held in Seattle and organized by King County Executive Ron Sims drew a sell-out crowd of over 700 people. In October, 2005 a group of 50 regional economists released a report on the consequences of climate change in Oregon. The message: Oregon and Washington, with their reliance on snow pack, will fare considerably worse than other places in the face of climate change and the states need to act now, and act quickly. Combined with emerging efforts at ecosystem service market formation at the Oregon Department of Transportation (conservation banks) and Department of Environmental Quality (water quality trading schemes), the expansion of Portland-based Climate Trust (mitigates carbon emissions for new utilities in Oregon and elsewhere) and the creation of a carbon registry in California, there is considerable interest in ecosystem market development. At the same time, the topic remains fairly new and there is considerable opportunity for learning and for accelerating the pace of adoption of appropriate market mechanisms and the formation of more robust regional markets.The Portland Katoomba meeting brings together leading entrepreneurs responsible for spurring the growth of environmental markets in the Pacific Northwest. From carbon credits to conservation banking, environmental markets are fundamentally transforming the landscape, changing environmental liabilities into assets, and adversaries into allies. The Pacific Northwest has always been at the forefront of work on environmental markets, and this conference will illustrate that the region is brimming with innovators and poised for significant market development.

You will hear some of the best speakers, talking about some of the most interesting examples in the use of environmental markets from around the world and the Pacific Northwest. The first two days of the conference are a series of plenary sessions on forest carbon, biodiversity, watershed payments, and financial funds and institutions capitalizing on these new market opportunities. The third day is composed of technical workshops on developing specific markets and instruments. At the end of this conference you will emerge with an understanding of how environmental markets work and how you can be a part of this exciting global development.

While the focus will be on the Pacific Northwest, examples and speakers will be drawn from international and national initiatives and the conference will be highly relevant to participants from all regions interested in developing and enhancing ecosystem service markets.

The conference is the first regional expression of The Katoomba Group, an international working group composed of leading experts from forest and energy industries, research institutions, the financial world, and environmental NGOs, all dedicated to facilitating strategic partnerships that can launch green forest products in the marketplace. The group met for the first time in Katoomba, Australia 1999, and has held subsequent meetings in England, British Columbia, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, Brazil, and Japan. This will be the first gathering of the Katoomba Group in the United States. The conference planning group’s goal is to create an ongoing effort in the region to stimulate and nurture market development, and we look forward to your thoughts on how to shape this new initiative.

 

Resources

Meeting Agenda (617KB)


Ecosystem ServicesState of Global Ecosystem Services: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Walter Reid (6000KB)


New Carbon OpportunitiesAbout Ecosystem Marketplace
Ricardo Bayon (2250KB)

Jumpstarting Carbon Markets in New South Wales
David Brand (160KB)

Developing a Quality Carbon Offset Market in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond
Mike Burnett (607KB)

Establishing a Carbon Registry in California and Its Role in Stimulating Early Action
Michelle Passero (967KB)

Carbon and Energy Connection
Mark Trexler (138KB)


Biodiversity: Message and MarketsUS Habitat Mitigation Banking
Craig Denisoff (284KB)

Australia’s Auctions and Banking
Mark Eigenraam (177KB)

Biodiversity Offsets Around the World
Kerry ten Kate (736KB)


Water Quality Markets and Practice: The Willamette Basin Willamette Ecosystem Marketplace
David Primozich (2051KB)

Willamette Ecosystem Marketplace
Jeremy Sokulsky (544KB)

Four Important Design Issues
Dr. Barton Thompson (410KB)


Coastal and Marine Markets and Practice Conserving Coastal Services through Private Investment Markets
Tundi Agardy (830KB)

Opportunities and Challenges for Marine Coastal Ecosystem Services Markets
Edward Backus (2175KB)

Dual Return Conservation Investments
Bruce Kahn (2327KB)

Nonmarket Values of Coastal Marine Ecosystems
Matthew Wilson (1709KB)


Biodiversity Markets Challenges to Conservation Banking: Lessons from the U.S
Jessica Fox (340KB)


Carbon Markets Value and Role of Offsets
Bjorn Fischer (1610KB)

CROP, SPOT, and Carbon Banking: A New Role for Public Lands?
Catherine Mater (725KB)

Sponsors

<!–//–><!–//–>

Platinum Sponsors
Mater Engineering
Mater Engineering is a forest products engineering and markets research firm working worldwide for over 60 continuous years. Headed by Catherine M. Mater, the firm has spearheaded benchmark forest certification assessment projects on Indian Nation and public forest lands throughout the US, and conducts workshops on product design and market access for certified wood products throughout the world.

Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the nation’s soil, water, and related natural resources on non-Federal lands.With NRCS’ help, people are able to help the land function as a living, sustainable system that provides a high standard of living and quality of life today and for future generations.

The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is an international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 47 million hectares in Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.

Triloka Global Advisors
Triloka Global Advisors’ Asia-based team delivers dynamic, global investment management solutions to institutional investors worldwide. Our distinctive perspective and processes give us the investment agility to provide portable alpha, pure alpha, and beta strategies for any global benchmark. Triloka prides itself on being a leader in identifying and developing unique sources of alpha, especially through investments consistent with our commitment to sustainable development and socially responsible investing.

USDA Forest Service
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Sponsors
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is the land of the Warm Springs,Wasco and Paiute Native American Tribes, stretching from the snowcapped summit of the Cascade Mountains to the palisaded cliffs of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon.The Confederated Tribes Natural Resource Management Services exist to plan and execute a balanced direction for the protection, use, and enhancement of all tribal natural resources. Resources shall be managed as sustainable assets available for cultural, subsistence, economic and social purposes or opportunities in perpetuity.

Diane Wittenberg
President, Climate Trust
Diane Wittenberg has served as President of the California Climate Action Registry and spent 15 years with Edison International. She also served as Vice President for Corporate Communications for Edison International, and was internationally recognized for her efforts to launch an electric vehicle industry.

Ecovaluation Group
The Ecovaluation Group, a multi-firm partnership, brings together environmental scientists, economists, GIS specialists, planners, engineers, and public policy practitioners to provide a unique, comprehensive approach to the valuation of ecosystem goods and services. The Ecovaluation Group uses economic and ecological assessment techniques, including a comprehensive benefits transfer GIS-based database, in order to assist policy makers, land managers, regulatory agencies, and market traders in making their decisions about the value of ecosystem services and to develop cost-effective, appropriate resource management techniques.

Jim DeCosmo
VP Forest Operations, Temple Inland
Jim DeCosmo is responsible for the Temple-Inland’s 2 million acres of timberland. Under DeCosmo’s leadership and his 20 years of forest management experience, Temple-Inland has received several conservation awards for their environmental diligence and stewardship through wildlife and conservation programs.

Parametrix
Parametrix is an employee-owned firm with over 450 professionals who provide comprehensive natural resource, regulatory, policy, planning, public involvement, and environmental engineering and science services. We specialize in environmental process improvement, program development, and creation of innovative tools designed to provide key linkages between resource management objectives and practical, real, on-the-ground projects. Our expertise, ability to deliver under extreme conditions, and our continued dedication to programmatic solutions was recognized in 2005 with a national environmental excellence award from the Federal Highway Administration.

Perkins Coie
Perkins Coie serves great companies ranging in size FORTUNE 100 companies to startups.The firm has more than 600 attorneys in 14 offices across the United States and in China and has historically represented market leaders in traditional and cutting-edge technology industries.

Potlatch Corporation
Potlatch Corporation is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and manages 1.5 million acres of timberlands located in Arkansas, Idaho, Oregon and Minnesota.Through a taxable REIT subsidiary we also operate 13 manufacturing facilities that are engaged in the production of commodity wood and pulp products. Potlatch is the only publicly traded company with its entire forestland holdings triple-certified under the guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Association (SFI) and ISO 14001.

Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo is committed to being environmentally responsible in every community in which it does business.Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company with $492 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance to more than 23 million customers from more than 6,200 stores and the internet across North America and elsewhere internationally. For more information about Wells Fargo and its commitment to the environment, please visit www.wellsfargo.com.

Partners
Cascade Land Conservancy
The Cascade Land Conservancy is a Seattle-headquartered non-profit regional land trust that preserves working forests, farmlands, urban and natural areas in a four-county area in Western Washington State.The Cascade Agenda, a 100-year conservation program hosted by the CLC, links conservation with livable communities and a vibrant economy.

Climate Trust
The Climate Trust is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to providing solutions to stabilize our rapidly changing climate.The sole mission of The Climate Trust is to promote climate change solutions by providing high quality greenhouse gas offset projects and advancing sound offset policy.

Columbia Land Trust
The mission of Columbia Land Trust is to conserve signature landscapes and vital habitats together with the landowners and communities of the Columbia River region. Columbia Land Trust conserves land along the lower 200 miles of the Columbia River from the desert east of the Cascades to the ocean with projects currently taking us from 50-70 miles into both Oregon and Washington from the banks of the river. Columbia Land Trust accomplishes its mission by working directly with willing landowners as well as a consortium of conservation groups and government agencies.

Defenders of Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife is a leading conservation organization recognized as one of the nation’s most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. Defenders uses education, litigation, research and promotion of conservation policies to protect wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a 501 (c) (3) organization with 490,000 members and supporters nationwide and headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Deschutes Basin Land Trust
The Deschutes Basin Land Trust is a Bend, Oregon based regional land trust serving the communities and landowners of Oregon’s 6.8 million acre Deschutes River Basin.With our Back to Home Waters program, the Land Trust is leading the effort to protect and restore lands essential to a successful reintroduction of the upper basin’s legendary salmon and steelhead runs. The Land Trust is also working to conserve the basin’s productive private timberlands through community forestry, with a goal of acquiring and managing nearly 300,000 acres of commercial timberland.

Deschutes River Conservancy
The Deschutes River Conservancy works to restore the Deschutes River and its tributaries through the close collaboration of everyone who cares about it – farmers, recreation enthusiasts, ranchers, conservationists, tribal communities, and, we hope, you.

Oregon Water Trust
Oregon Water Trust restores surface water flows for healthier streams in Oregon by using cooperative, free-market solutions. Founded in 1993 by a group with diverse water interests, we were the first water trust in the nation.We acquire water rights from willing landowners for instream use, focusing on streams where small amounts of water provide significant ecological benefits.

Wild Salmon Center
The mission of the Wild Salmon Center is to identify, understand and protect the best wild salmon ecosystems of the Pacific Rim. We devise and implement practical strategies, based on the best science, to protect forever these extraordinary places and their biodiversity.