Economics of Conservation

There are libraries of work devoted to the ethics of conservation and the problem of resolving economic value to the conservation of natural resources. The key to solving the economics of conservation is the discovery of the value of organic matter in the soil. First of all how does organic matter come to exist in a soil? Organic matter in the form of humus originates by the action of bacteria, mold and the respiration of plants above the soil. If plants are removed from above the soil then the soil will become oxidized and the organic matter will be easily leached by rain. Organic matter exists by an ecological process with a balance between air and water in the soil profile. In a forest mycorrhizae colonize within the organic matter and roots of trees. This symbiosis of fungus and trees is necessary for any substantial growth of the forest. If the trees are removed, the soil is laid bare thus tipping the balance toward oxidation and leaching of the OM into consequent streams then rivers into the Ocean. In any given scenario whereby large tracts of land are denuded by fire, farming, logging or development, OM will be lost from the soil.