Environmental Defense Fund Hires Business Leader, Conservation Advocate as Habitat Markets Director

(SAN FRANCISCO—March 26, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is bringing onboard an experienced business leader and conservation advocate to guide the organization’s habitat program, a program dedicated to creating incentives for farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who provide conservation benefits on their land.

Daniel Heagerty joins EDF as Habitat Markets Director after 30 years experience in conservation and environmental markets at top environmental engineering firms, including CH2MHill and David Evans and Associates. He also served as co-chairman of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and as a board member of The Nature Conservancy Oregon and the Portland Zoo. Heagerty is based in EDF’s San Francisco office.

“Dan has significant experience designing programs that integrate economic growth and conservation benefits,” said David Festa, vice president, Land, Water & Wildlife, EDF. “Dan will direct EDF’s efforts to bring to scale our work with landowners and developers to implement systems that will make it possible to feed and fuel America far into the future, while ensuring an equally bright future for our water and wildlife resources.”

Heagerty will lead EDF in developing and implementing landscape-scale conservation programs that provide incentives for landowners to conserve habitat and help restore species. In addition to EDF’s long-term work on farm bill payments and conservation banking, EDF’s newest tools are Habitat Exchanges.

Habitat Exchanges are specifically designed to overcome certain limitations of existing systems, as well as address the challenge of funding long-term management and monitoring of conserved land. Habitat Exchanges are scientifically based programs in which developers pay landowners, such as farmers and ranchers, to create, maintain and restore wildlife habitat on their property. These exchanges work in concert with existing tools such as conservation banks to create net benefits for wildlife, allow developers to meet their regulatory requirements and create new revenue sources for landowners.

“I am excited to join EDF and help take Habitat Exchanges to scale,” said Heagerty. “By enhancing our partnerships with landowners, energy companies and elected officials, we have the opportunity to transform conservation in America, taking it from conflict and delay to a cooperative, fast and effective model.”