Recent environmental disasters have highlighted the relationship between our nation’s economy and its ecology.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has long been measuring the ecological successes of marine and coastal restoration efforts, but a new panel recommends we also measure the economic impacts of restoration, according to a recent report.

Linwood Pendleton and Suzanne Simon writing in the National Wetland’s Newsletter: “Economic outcomes from (estuary and coastal) habitat restoration include: direct market effects, e.g., people might be willing to pay to visit a restored area; indirect market effect, e.g., restoration could increase commercial fishing harvest by providing more or better nursery habitat; non-market effects, e.g., the recreational value of fishing in a restored estuary; enjoying the view offered by a restored area, or knowing that an endangered species exists because of habitat restoration, and offsite effects, e.g., restoration can result in reduced sedimentation in downstream areas of estuaries or increased property values.” 

Ecosystems provide many goods and services that society values.  In these coastal and estuary systems, values might include fish harvest, recreational angling, bird-watching, hiking.  “Property values have been shown to reflect ecosystem and environmental quality in coastal and estuary ecosystems.  Finally, coastal ecosystems provide a variety of other services including shoreline protection, flood control, and the ability to store carbon.  All of these ecosystem services provide potential value to local, regional, national, and international economies” said the report.

Recommendations from the blue ribbon panel include long-term data collection for ecological and economic outcomes.  > READ the panel’s report or learn more about LEARN MORE about Total Economic Values.

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