Public trustees at the state, federal, and tribal level are tasked with ensuring that those responsible for destroying or damaging natural resources sufficiently compensate the public for its loss. Those trustees have the fiduciary duty to maintain and restore the natural resources within the...

This paper evaluates an innovative tax revenue-sharing scheme in Brazil, designed to promote the conservation and management of protected areas. Known as the "ICMS Ecologico", the scheme was introduced by the state of Parana in Brazil and subsequently by several other states. The scheme aims to...

Understanding and minimizing the transaction costs of policy implementation are critical for reducing tropical forest losses. As the international community prepares to launch REDD+, a global initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from tropical deforestation, policymakers need to pay...

The institutional and ecological structure of Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons” appears deceptively simple: the open-access pasture eventually will be overexploited and degraded unless (i) it is privatized, (ii) the government regulates access and use, or (iii) the users themselves impose...

The objective of this survey of oilseed production from Jatropha and other oilseed-bearing perennials is to contribute by establishing an up-to-date overview based on interviews with producers and industry experts in 2011. This survey of 154 projects yielded a comprehensive database that covers...

The purpose of this technical note is to identify key environment and safeguard-related risks and opportunities that should be taken into account in the new Country Strategy for the Dominican Republic (DR) as required by the IDB's Environment and Safeguard Policy approved in January 2006....

This monograph reviews evidence on probable impacts of climate change on agricultural production and food security in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) up to year 2100, based on the IPCC climate projections (though discussing some of their limitations) and the best impact estimates...

Genetically modified (“GMO”) corn germinates legal controversies in México. Since 2013, Mexican courts have temporarily suspended GMO corn because it threatens biodiversity. In the Colectividad del Maíz lawsuit, courts have prohibited México from issuing commercial GMO permits while the...

This Article analyzes the recent trend of regulating land use through ballot initiatives. Most of this activity occurs in jurisdictions west of the Mississippi River, and as the West becomes the new political battleground, the significance of these initiatives continues to grow. Supporters tout...

Hunger affects 800 million people, 11% of humankind. However, it is diminishing in absolute numbers and as a percentage of population as a result of slower population growth, economic development, and increasing farm productivity. Current food output is more than enough to feed all humankind and...