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 Defenders of Wildlife is pleased to announce a new report: “Assessing the Wealth of Nature: Using Economic Studies to Promote Land Conservation Instead of Sprawl.” The report shows that conservationists can fight sprawl and promote land conservation by demonstrating the economic value that comes from natural lands.
The report, a collaborative effort with Resources for the Future and Island Press, inventories economic benefits assessments, illustrates how they were used in local land use planning, and provides a starting place for conservationists interested in conducting their own assessments.
“By arming themselves with good economic studies and communicating the results effectively, conservationists can show leaders and decision-makers that land conservation is good fiscal policy,” the report finds. For example, a study by the University of Florida found the economic benefits from natural lands in rapidly developing northeast Florida are worth approximately $2.6 billion a year. The value comes from agricultural activities, recreation-related activities and aesthetic amenities.
“There is a growing body of literature that shows that sprawl is much more expensive to communities than compact development combined with land conservation,” said Laura Watchman, senior manager of land use programs at Defenders of Wildlife. “By focusing on the benefits of biodiversity conservation in urbanizing landscapes, this report is a unique contribution to that literature.” Click here to read more. . .
- Download Assessing the Wealth of Nature: Using Economic Studies to Promote Land Conservation Instead of Sprawl.
- Download white paper Public Benefits of Undeveloped Lands on Urban Outskirts: Non-Market Valuation Studies and their Role in Land Use Plans by H. Spencer Banzhaf and Puja Jawahar.
For more information:
assessingwealth@defenders.org
Updated 11-20-06
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