Economic Benefits of Waterways and Wetlands

New report analyzes 4,000 cities to demonstrate the health, climate and biodiversity benefits of source water protection

Study finds that the Master Watershed Stewardship program in Northampton and Lehigh counties, by protecting and restoring waterways, delivers over $140,000 in annual economic benefits.

Rivers, trails, and greenway corridors (linear open spaces connecting recreational, cultural and natural areas) have the potential to create jobs, enhance property values, expand local businesses, attract new or relocating businesses, increase local tax revenues, decrease local government expenditures, and promote a local community. This resource book aims to encourage local professionals and citizens to use economic concepts as part of their effort to protect and promote greenways; provides examples of how greenways and parks have benefited local and regional economies, and demonstrates how to determine the potential economic impacts of river, trail, and greenway projects.

Study shows that annual sport fishing activity in this Alaska municipality generates more than $63 million in spending on goods and services, accounting for over 900 jobs. Fishing also produces over $6 million in state and local taxes.

This study calculates the economic value generated by open space in the Lehigh Valley. It finds that open space adds significant value to the regional economy with benefits accruing to businesses, governments and households--some benefits being direct revenue streams to individuals or governments, some representing asset appreciation and some accruing in the form of avoided costs.

The destruction of mangroves has a strong economic impact on local fishing communities and on food production in the region. Mangrove-related fish and crab species account for 32% of the small-scale fisheries landings in the region. The annual economic median value of these fisheries is $37,500 per hectare of mangrove fringe, falling within the higher end of values previously calculated worldwide for all mangrove services together.

Study estimates that undeveloped floodplains and wetlands along Otter Creek saved Middlebury, Vermont $1.8 billion in flood damage during Tropical Storm Irene and reduced damage by 54–78% across nine other flood events. The annual value of the flood-mitigation provided by the open space is as high as $450,000 per year.

What is the role of trees, fields, and forests in filtering water, cleansing the air, controlling flooding and more? How much is it worth? What are all the other economic benefits of open space in Berks County? This report lays out the numbers in 28 colorful and eye catching pages.

A first-ever analysis released by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation finds that the economic benefits provided by nature in the Chesapeake Bay watershed will total $130 billion annually when the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, the regional plan to restore the Bay, is fully implemented. The Economic Benefits of Cleaning up the Chesapeake also reveals that in Pennsylvania, those annual benefits will approach $40 billion.

Study shows that coastal wetlands reduce the damaging effects of hurricanes on coastal communities, saving lives and minimizing property damage.

A review of the now quite extensive economics literature on the value of open space, this study covers more than 60 articles published in the past 25 years that use the various methodologies. The analysis focuses primarily on the value of open space in and around urbanized areas, including parks, greenbelts, natural areas and wildlife habitats, wetlands, and farmland.

The authors estimated the economic value of 17 ecosystem services for 16 biomes, based on published studies and a few original calculations. For the entire biosphere, the value (most of which is outside the market) is estimated to be between $16 and 54 trillion/year (1997 U.S. dollars), with an average of $33 trillion/year. Because of the nature of the uncertainties, this must be considered a minimum estimate.

This study underscores the economic value of clean water in the Laurel Highlands region and illustrates the return on the environment that comes from restoration and conservation projects. Restoring damaged streams, conserving natural habitats, and preserving drinkable and recreationally useful water all provide economic benefit to the region. Incorporating these benefits into policy and funding decisions will help create an environment in which both the economy and the watersheds can thrive.

This provides the results of a study that quantified the annual value of New Jersey’s natural resources and its present value, the amount of money that would need to be invested now to generate an equal level of annual monetary benefits. The total value of New Jersey’s natural capital is about $20 billion per year (present value: $680 billion). It provides services worth between $8.6 and $19.8 billion (present value: $288-660 billion) and goods worth between $2.8 and $9.7 billion (present value: $93-322 billion).