Water

There is growing social demand for limited freshwater resources. At CMEW, we are researching and developing freshwater management solutions that will both meet the needs of users and support healthy aquatic ecosystems.

Valuation, Data, and Methods

Nature is important to the economic wellbeing of a society. But how much is it worth? Since RFF’s beginning, our experts have worked to answer that question.

Ecosystem Services

Natural systems—such as wetlands, estuaries, free-flowing rivers, forests, and grasslands—provide services that benefit communities—such as water purification, coastal storm and flood protection, abundant species populations, and air quality improvements. CMEW experts work with partners in the natural sciences to better understand how ecological systems produce and deliver socially valuable ecosystem goods and services.

Environmental Markets

CMEW works to develop and analyze novel approaches to natural resource management, including market- and incentive-based policies.

Green GDP

CMEW experts are contributing to the realization of national environmental accounts, including a national green gross domestic product (green GDP), to capture and track the status of environmental public goods and services and measure the environmental consequences of economic growth.

Conservation

An important aspect of our work at CMEW is to assess conservation policies and their consequences, and identify more ecologically and economically effective land use, marine, biodiversity, and agriculture policies.

Governance and Regulation

CMEW experts serve as advisors to federal agencies and policymakers to ensure efficient and effective science strategies, planning, and regulatory programs.

Forest Economics and Policy Program (FEPP)

FEPP's mission is to conduct research and analysis on forestry and environmental sustainability issues to help policymakers understand the underlying economics critical to the development and implementation of forest policy in the United States.