Economic Impacts of Ecosystem Restoration

Cathy Thomas, Kristin Skrabis, Chris Huber, Lynne Koontz & Billy Gascoigne

Overview • Benefits of ecosystem restoration

• Project overview

• Methods and outputs

• Case study highlights

• Uses and extensions

• Eliciting case studies

Benefits of Ecosystem Restoration

• Enhances and restores biodiversity and ecosystem services

• Provides benefits to local communities

– Ecological improvements

– Supports local businesses

– Creates jobs

Project Overview • Impetus:

– Interest in connection between ecosystem restoration and economic benefits to communities

– Insufficient data for estimating impacts

• Objectives:

– Understand the complexity of restoration projects and the required inputs for restoration

– Increase information and accuracy of impact estimates

– Highlight economic benefits of restoration investments in local economies

Project Methods

• Case study approach

• IMPLAN input/output analysis

• Primary data collection

– Detailed expenditure breakdown

• labor, materials, equipment, …

• Percent spent locally

• Where in the supply chain each material was purchased

Project Output

• Case study product is a 1-2 page highlight with photos

• Average local job and labor impacts per year

• All case studies will be included in a searchable database

Case Study Highlights

Collaborative : Federal & local governments and NGOs pooling resources & management

Truckee River • TNC, FWS, BLM, BoR, local

Tribe, and >10 other agencies • 4 river stretches on private,

county, and BLM land • $19M project lasting 5 years • Supported 37 jobs & $2.7M in

income per year

Glacial Ridge Prairie • TNC, FWS, NRCS, MN state and

many other partners • Now a National Wildlife Refuge • $24M project lasting 11 years • Supported 15 jobs & $840K in

income per year

Projects support local input suppliers

• Many projects utilize locally produced goods

– Nursery products

– Quarried resources (rocks, fill dirt)

• Truckee River:

– Over 90% of materials purchased from local suppliers (average of $875K per year)

• Glacial Ridge:

– Supported 4 new seed supply businesses and a new seeding and mowing business (average of $430K per year)

Markets for materials removed from the land

Gerber Stew • Stewardship contracts • 4.4M ft3 of biomass removed • Hog fuel, clean chips & sawlogs • $3M project lasting 8 years • Supported 19 jobs and $870K in

income per year

Las Cienegas • 1,500 tons of biomass removed • Firewood permits • Hand-crafted mesquite furniture • $1.5M project lasting 2 years • Supported 10 jobs and $600K in

income per year

Uses and Extensions

• Individual case studies – Highlight specific restoration projects – Create awareness of connection between ecosystem

restoration and job creation

• Database – Will classify restoration projects by type of injury,

landscape, restoration activities, etc. – Provide improved secondary data on restoration

expenditures and impacts

• Meta-analysis • Combine with non-market studies

Eliciting Case Studies

• Must have a DOI connection

• Please contact Cathy Thomas with suggestions

Thank you!