ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC & SOCIALBENEFITS OF

RESTORATION PROJECTS

Todd HogrefeNational Fish & Wildlife Foundation

October 13, 2011

Public–Private Partnership

•ArcelorMittal

•US Environmental Protection Agency

•US Fish & Wildlife Service

•USDA Forest Service

•National Fish & Wildlife Foundation

•National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Sustain Our Great Lakes has provided support to restore:

•774 stream miles of aquatic connectivity

•86 miles of stream and riparian habitat

•17,000 acres of wetland, coastal and associated habitat

Restoration Outcomes

•GLRI Action Plan Measures of Progress

•Ecological Benefits

•Economic Benefits

•Social Benefits

Making Restoration MatterDemonstrating the Significance of the Outcomes

•Miles of river re-opened for fish passage •Action Plan 2014 goal: 4,500•SOGL work completed/underway: 774 (17%)

•Number of fish passage barriers bypassed or removed •Action Plan 2014 goal: 450•SOGL work completed/underway: 86 (19%)

•Acres of wetland, coastal and associated habitats restored: •Action Plan 2014 goal: 97,000•SOGL work completed/underway: 17,000 (17%)

GLRI Action Plan Measures of Progress

•Lake sturgeon: Restoring passage to >134 stream miles will help increase numbers of adults in Lake Michigan by up to 600% over 2–4 generations

•Piping plover: Nest protection, captive rearing and invasive species control have helped the number of nesting pairs increase by 15% since 2006

•Brook trout: Removal of 71 passage barriers is improving the connectivity and quality of 370 miles of spawning habitat

•Blanding’s turtle: Restoring >4,000 acres of wetlands and associated uplands is providing the habitat matrix needed for the turtle life cycle

Ecological Benefits

•Global ecosystem services estimated at $21-72 trillion annually •Comparable to the World Gross National Income of $58 trillion in 2008

•Analysis (Science) of 89 projects showed restoration increased ecosystem services by 25%

•Long-term (40 years) benefit/cost ratio of restoration•Inland wetlands: 5:1•Lakes/rivers: 15:1•Non-tropical forests: 10:1

•Great Lakes example: •10–25% sediment reduction would save municipalities

$50-125 million in water treatment costs over 10 years

Economic Benefits: Ecosystem Services

•U.S. outdoor recreation and tourism generates: •$821 billion in annual economic activity•6.4 million jobs•$99 billion in federal and state tax revenues

•Annual sales ($325 billion) exceed returns from: •Pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing ($162 billion)•Legal services ($253 billion)•Power generation and supply ($283 billion)

•Great Lakes restoration to generate $6.5–11.8 billion in direct recreation/tourism benefits

•30–75% increase in fish abundance = $1.1–5.8 billion benefit•5% or greater increase in water clarity = $2.5 billion benefit •10–20% improvement in bird viewing = $100–200 million benefit

Economic Benefits: Recreation and Tourism

•U.S. property values up to 20% higher near natural areas than similar properties elsewhere

•Remediating Great Lakes AOCs would increase coastal property values $12–19 billion (5–10% conservative estimate)

Economic Benefits: Property Values

•In 2003, environmental protection generated 5 million US jobs•10 times the jobs in the pharmaceuticals industry•Nearly one-third of the entire construction industry

•Most restoration jobs are not for restoration practitioners•Accountants, engineers, clerks, truck drivers, mechanics, etc.•Many people may not realize their jobs were created by restoration

•$156 million in NOAA ARRA funding for coastal restoration•Created 395 jobs•Jobs-per-dollar, created 5x the jobs as the median ARRA stimulus grant

•EPA/FWS providing $2.4 million for 3 projects in northern OH•Will create 80 jobs•An even higher jobs-per-dollar benefit

Social Benefits: Jobs

•Reduced health risks from drinking water

•Reduced health risks from swimming

•Reduced health risks from fish consumption

•Reduced safety risks and property damage from flooding

Social Benefits: Health and Safety

•774 stream miles of aquatic connectivity•86 miles of stream and riparian habitat•17,000 acres of wetland, coastal and associated habitat

signify

•Progress on Action Plan implementation•Healthier fish and wildlife populations•Hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefit•Better quality of life

More than Just Numbers

References

•Austin, JC, S Anderson, PN Courant, and RE Litan. 2007. America’s North Coast: A Benefit-Cost Analysis of a Program to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes. Ann Arbor, MI.

•Benayas, JM et al. 2009. Enhancement of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by Ecological Restoration: a Meta-analysis. Science 325:121–124

•Bezdek, R and T Tietenberg. 2008. Environmental Protection, the Economy, and Jobs. In: Encyclopedia of the Earth. Eds. Cutler J Cleveland. Washington D.C.

•Nellemann, C and E Corcoran (eds). 2010. Dead Planet, Living Planet – Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration for Sustainable Development. A Rapid

Response Assessment. United Nations Programme.

•Southwick Associates. 2011. The Economics Associates with Outdoor Recreation, Natural Resources Conservation and Historic Preservation in the United States. Report to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.