The Joint Production of Crops and Wildlife Habitat on a Working Landscape

• Agricultural Economics Workshop
• Environmental and Resource Economics Workshop

Date and Location

Friday, November 16, 2012, 12:10 PM - 1:30 PM
ARE Conference Room, 2102 Social Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

This paper examines the tradeoffs between the production of crops and habitat for juvenile salmon, through flood events, on the Yolo Bypass floodplain. I investigate how changes in the fishery management institution affect the economic returns to fish habitat. To understand how habitat provision affects the economic surplus of the farmers and fishermen, I develop a bioeconomic model of Yolo Bypass agriculture, salmon population, and California ocean fishery. The results reveal large total producer surplus gains from improving habitat management and the natural resource management institution. Two-thirds of these gains come from habitat management alone. My findings highlight larger returns to habitat management when the natural resource is efficiently exploited.