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 Mark Buckley
approaches problems facing conservation and restoration efforts from a
social perspective, focusing on the economic and strategic dimensions. He
is currently finishing his PhD dissertation at the University of California,
Santa Cruz. Mark uses game-theoretic and other simulation methods to examine
the individual and group level dynamics that influence policy implementation
success. His research moves beyond the typical aggregate society-level
economic analyses such as cost-benefit, which are used for policy
identification and justification but do not easily capture the interactions
and feedbacks within social systems and between social and natural systems.
The bulk of
Mark's dissertation research focuses on the landscape-scale restoration
efforts along more than 160 km of the Sacramento River
in California. Conflicts between restoration efforts and some landowners,
primarily farmers, in the Sacramento River Conservation Area (SRCA) have
stymied restoration and conservation projects, led to a reduction in the
size of the SRCA by almost two-thirds, and changed the on-farm management in
ways that work against restoration goals. Some farmers perceive negative
effects spreading from restoration areas in the forms of increased weeds,
invertebrate and vertebrate pests, flooding severity, endangered species
establishment, and trespassing. Some farmers in turn have increased usage
of chemicals, fencing, rip-rapping and political opposition. Mark is
working with local landowner organizations, government agents, and restorationists to identify stable cooperative solutions that reduce
negative impacts for both sides through compromise, design, and information
exchange. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, STEPS
Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research, and other organizations.
Mark holds a
B.A. in Economics from Davidson College and served as an economic consultant
to the U.S. EPA and U.S. Forest Service while at Research Triangle
Institute. He has served as an economic consultant to the Santa Cruz water
department and currently Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund. For Earthjustice,
Mark works on the problem of marine life mortality caused by coastal power
plant cooling operations.
Mark's
research focus on conservation of rivers and other water resources comes
from a lifelong pursuit of time on the water in a kayak. Mark's paddling
has led him to class 5 multi-day whitewater expeditions around the world,
including first descents. He has been a kayak instructor and raft guide for
the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Outward Bound, and numerous Costa Rican
companies. Mark has left his days of competition as a sponsored
professional kayaker. When not working though, he can still be found high in
the Sierra Nevada Mountains on a bedrock granite creek or in the backcountry
snow .
Email:
m.buckley@conservationinstitute.org
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