Date: November 3rd, 2025
Talk: 3-4 PM | Michael Smith Laboratories, Lecture Hall (#102)
Reception: 4 – 5 PM | Biodiversity Research Centre, Multipurpose Room (#1014. 1024)

Abstract:

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) programs are a key component of policy efforts to advance natural climate solutions and biodiversity conservation. This seminar presents empirical evidence on the effectiveness of PES initiatives for forest conservation and poverty alleviation in Mexico, as well as on participation and outcomes of forest restoration programs in Brazil. The discussion will emphasize methodological approaches for evaluating program effectiveness, highlighting distinctions between strategies for avoided deforestation and those for forest restoration. Key policy insights on the design and implementation of effective PES programs will also be explored.

Bio:

Jennifer Alix-Garcia is a microeconomist with interests in economic development and the environment. Her work includes analysis of land use change and policies to address it, the impacts of forced migration, and the use of satellite data in economic analysis.  She has published peer-reviewed papers in the journals of environmental economics, economic history, public economics, development economics, and economic geography, as well as in general interest economics journals and major science outlets. She is a former editor of the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and is also on the editorial board of the Review of Environmental and Economics and Policy. She is currently a professor in the Department of Applied Economics at Oregon State University.