Jessica’s work at Defenders focuses on innovative market-based approaches to conservation that pay private landowners for implementing conservation practices on their lands. Her work involves research on best management practices to develop ecosystem service markets that can benefit rangeland conservation, the potential application of water quality and quantity markets in California, and economic valuation of biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

Before coming to Defenders Jessica conducted research on incentives for wildlife use on private land in South Africa. Jessica has also worked on shark fisheries management in the Gulf of Mexico and on sustainable agriculture and development issues in Africa.

Jessica holds a BS in Agricultural Economics from the University of Zimbabwe and, a MS and PhD in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida.