Economic Benefits of Conservation

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation reports results from interviews with U.S. residents about their fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching. The 2016 National Report focuses on 2016 participation and expenditures of persons 16 years of age and older. The 2016 FHWAR did not collect data at the state level so there are no state-level reports. Economic Contributions of Recreational Fishing Within U.S. States and Congressional Districts

"This report indicates that protected open space adds significant value to the county’s economy, with benefits for businesses, governments, and households. This value occurs in different ways—some are direct revenue streams to individuals or governments, some represent appreciation in asset values, others are the result of avoided costs. Building off a previous regional report and using standard economic analysis techniques, this report estimates the economic value of protected open space in Chester County by measuring impacts across five areas: property values, environmental benefits, recreation and health, economic activity, and cost of community services."

Research was conducted in five Pennsylvania Heritage Areas in 2014-2015 to analyze their economic impact in Pennsylvania. The research involved a survey of heritage-area visitors, interviews with stakeholders in the five study heritage areas (HAs), and an estimation of the economic impact of the heritage-related visitation to all 12 HAs statewide.