Biography

Andy’s work focuses on natural resource-based economic development. He employs economic approaches to help decision makers identify, quantify, and capture the wealth of nature. Nature-based economic development solutions improve the efficiency of resource management and benefit human well-being by identifying hidden costs as well as unexplored opportunities. His recent research and outreach efforts include the economics of agricultural land preservation and rural/agricultural land use planning, recreation and tourism management, natural capital accounting and environmental mainstreaming, climate change vulnerability, and forest landscape restoration. He has been active in local, national and international policy formation and training including: Colorado alternative valuation of conservation easements task force; the US Farm Bill (Title II: Conservation); the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF); and the UN Development Program’s biodiversity finance initiative (BIOFIN).