Conservation banking

Newer ESA policies allow participants to get credit for helping endangered species.  Those credits can make a future regulation more predictable or offer an efficient way to benefit rare wildlife if someone wants to buy the credit.  They are already helping restore rare wildlife, but we need to overcome three limits to make the tools work better.  Lack of clear standards for approval – endless negotiation is the norm.  Lack of transparency – the public (often rightly) has too little reason to believe wildlife will benefit.  Lack of priority – these efforts are rarely a priority for agencies’ best staff.