Nutrient farming: The business of environmental management

Restored wetlands could be used successfully to address our recurring problems of excess nutrients (and sediments) and flood damages along U.S. rivers. Credit markets for flood storage, nitrogen, phosphorous, carbon, atrazine, sediment, and many other constituents would economically motivate landowners to restore wetlands. The resulting high-quality open space would provide for recreation, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity. By instigating the market for nitrate-nitrogen, we can jumpstart the entire process of using markets to manage ecosystems. The nitrogen market will create a new land-economics paradigm and new opportunities for landowners, particularly farmers.