Juan Carlos Villaseñor Derbez

Juan’s research broadly focuses on the economics of marine conservation; he combines ecological and economic theory with data science and causal inference techniques. He believes today’s available technology can allow us to revolutionize the way in which we design and evaluate marine conservation policies. As an IGCC Fellow, he will explore an interesting question: Can environmental markets be designed to induce global cooperation over the conservation of the marine environment? Juan proposes and simulates a new institution that would do just that. The basic idea is that nations facing large costs of conserving in their waters can purchase conservation credits from nations with a surplus of habitat to protect. 2021 marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and brings the promise of cooperation for sustainable management of the marine environment. The outcomes of this project could directly guide and inform ongoing negotiations at the United Nations and other international fora.

Proposal Title:  Designing Conservation Markets for International Cooperation