2012. Collaborated with Melbourne-based economists, Economists at Large, to conduct a pilot study for the National Parks Association of NSW, into the Economic Value of the Ecological Services provided by the Travelling Stock Routes (TSRs) in NSW. Two TSRs were selected for the pilot study, with different characteristics to do with their position in the landscape and the nature of their boundaries, ie. natural vegetation, road, or waterway. For more detail and a full copy of the valuation report see here
2011. Advised the Maules Creek Community Council (NE of Boggabri, Central Western NSW) of the Social and Environmental Impacts of the Open-Cut Coal Mines operating and proposed in the Leard State Forest, and quantified the value of the loss of ecosystem goods and services due to clear-felling of the forest.
2010. Appointed by CELCOR (PNG) in conjunction with the EDO (NSW), on the direction of the National Court of Papua New Guinea, to assess the pecuniary value of the environmental damage and consequent reduction in ecosystem services provided by customary land due to a large scale unauthorised logging activity in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. (STOP PRESS: June 2011, the National Court of PNG awards PNG Kina 226 Million to the customary landholders on the strength of this expert evidence. This is a major legal precedent, being the first such judgement in PNG against a logging company.) See News!
2010. Contributed to TEEB – D22 – Australia. United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). TEEB is “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity”. CurtisNRA Contributed 5 actual case studies where the economic value of ecosystems was quantified. Both Government and Private Sector were represented in these case studies. Ian Curtis was the only Australian Reviewer of the final publication.
TEEB has been initiated by the European Commission and the German government and is hosted by UNEP aiming at “… compiling, building and making a compelling economics case for the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity.”
www.teebweb.org
Contracted to SMEC Australia and Flanagan Consulting Group North Queensland. Various projects and proposals, most recently including contributing to Parsons Brinkerhoff successful inclusion on the Defence Environmental and Heritage Panel with FCG as their North Queensland delivery agent, 2007-2009.
Delivered the Australian Government’s market-based incentive program, Tasmanian Forest Conservation Fund, with a target of 45,600 hectares of under-represented forest including 25,000 hectares of old growth (2006 – 2007). 28,900 hectares of high conservation value forests secured under conservation agreements at a cost to Govt of $35 million ($1211 per hectare).
Assessed the environmental improvements on Restoration Island since 1996, resulting in a condition ‘best since pre-European times’ (2006).
Prepared Policy and procedures and delivered a workable model for a revolving fund for the acquisition and on sale of high conservation land in New South Wales for the Nature Conservation Trust of New South Wales (2005 – 2007).
Investigated the regional ecological significance and economic implications for several private landholdings in the North West Growth Centre of Sydney under the NSW State Government’s Metrostrategy (2005).
Assessed the pecuniary environmental impact of the unauthorised removal of timber and associated impacts from an endangered regional ecosystem (under the Vegetation Management Act 1999) in the Shire of Eacham,
Atherton Tablelands (2005).
Valued the environmental impact of a transmission line corridor through Allies Creek State Forest in the Southern Inland Burnett region of South East Queensland (pecuniary). The ‘Environmental impact’ for the purposes of this study was ‘the loss of or reduction or modification of ecosystem goods and services provided by the land impacted by clearing of the corridor, and edge effects’ (2004).
Proposed a set of financial incentives to reward private stewardship of native vegetation in the Brisbane City Council local government area (2004).