By: Kyla Kaplan
Dr. Kris Johnson is an expert in the areas of agriculture, conservation biology, ecosystem services, freshwater, floodplains, and biodiversity. Focusing his career on ecosystem services and particularly their relationship to agriculture, Dr. Johnson has committed his career to be a leader in using science to bring conservation practices to the agriculture landscape.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has been active for almost 70 years and for many years was predominately a land trust. While many people consider TNC to be solely a traditional conservation association, TNC works diligently with agricultural producers.
According to Dr. Johnson, TNC work closely with diverse partners in the food system such as food companies, agricultural input companies, state and federal agencies, farmers, commodity groups, and agriculture service providers.
Dr. Johnson will be joined on the panel by Dr. Lisa Wainger, a Research Professor at the UMD Center for Environmental Science, Dr. Suzanne Dorsey, Assistant Secretary for MDE, and Matthew Clagett, Asst. Attorney General for MDE. This panel will focus on emerging opportunities in ecosystem trading markets.
On the panel, Dr. Johnson will provide a background as to what TNC does in the agricultural sector. He will also discuss how farmers can take advantage of ecosystem service markets, in particular carbon trading, and the role these markets play in achieving conservation goals.
To learn more and hear from Dr. Johnson, please attend the annual Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference on Thursday, November 14th, 8:00am- 3:00pm at the Crown Plaza in Annapolis, MD. You can register at https://go.umd.edu/aleiconf2019registration.
