ABOUT US
We create innovative conservation solutions through markets and incentives.
Conservation is most effective and lasting when it is voluntary, cooperative, and makes economic sense—when there are incentives to make conservation an asset, not a liability.
The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is the national leader in creating market solutions for conservation, with over 40 years of pioneering research and a network of respected scholars and practitioners. We explore how aligning incentives for environmental stewardship produces sustainable outcomes for land, water, and wildlife.
We bring an innovative and urgently needed perspective to the conservation community—seeking to unite, not divide, and replacing conflict with cooperation through the power of partnerships.
We are independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan, and proudly based in Bozeman, Montana.
Our integrated approach to conservation:
We believe
01
Conservation is our compass.
Thriving ecosystems, including flourishing wildlife and healthy open spaces, are essential for people and our planet.
02
Incentives matter.
Rewarding people for protecting the environment promotes positive outcomes for conservation.
03
Markets produce lasting outcomes.
Putting markets to work for conservation is often more efficient, effective, and collaborative than government regulation, political interference, and litigation.
04
We need healthy public lands and healthy private lands.
Nature knows no boundaries or jurisdictions. Successful environmental stewardship must span across both public and private lands.
05
Conservation must be a unifier, not a divider.
Effective and lasting conservation brings people together, rather than pits them against one another.
Our mission
PERC is dedicated to advancing conservation through markets, incentives, property rights, and partnerships.
Our vision
A world with healthy land, water, and wildlife sustained by voluntary, cooperative conservation and incentives for environmental stewardship.
“Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.”
– Aldo Leopold
