My series on the CONSERVATION ECONOMY makes these main points:

1. Conservation pays, conservation pays immediately and conservation pays on multiple levels. Whether you are talking wilderness or windfarms, conservation pays;

2. The conservation economy is a bridging issue.  One that can cross boundaries to bring divergent interests together, bring the conservation movement into the mainstream and realize sustainable economic benefit for communities that seek to be conservation-minded.

In late 2005, the Dept. of Interior released a report entitled Banking on Nature 2004: The Economic Benefits to Local Communities of National Wildlife Refuge Visitation, that demonstrated that national wildlife refuges generated almost $1.4 billion in total economic activity during the 2004 fiscal year.

Hat Tip to DKOS Naturegalfor pointing me to this study.

The Conservation Economy Series:

The Conservation Economy, Part I; demonstrated that Wilderness as an economic generator for Western communities.

The Conservation Economy, Part II; discussed the tourism potential associated with conservation as well as how environmental issues can bridge the political spectrum.

The Conservation Economy, Part III; described the why and how of a Restoration Economy.

The Conservation Economy, Part IV; discussed the economic value of natural systems, otherwise known as Ecosystem Services or, Natural Capital.

From Wilderness to Windfarms discussed the economic impacts of a Wilderness proposal in southern New Mexico.

Roadless Areas Generate Big Money discussed the massive economic benefit Roadless lands bring to New Mexico.

Public Lands and Economic Growth shows the numbers behind the significant economic growth National Parks generate for surrounding communities and the West as a whole.

Human Powered Recreation Dollarspointed to a portion of the Conservation Economy that is a $730 BILLION Industry that supports 6.5 million jobs across the nation and generates $88 billion in state and national tax revenue every year.

National Wildlife Refuges

What is the National Wildlife Refuge System?

The National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses nearly 100 million acres and 545 national wildlife refuges. Priority uses of the National Wildlife Refuge System are hunting, fishing, photography, wildlife observation, environmental education, and interpretation.

Acres of land under management (Stewardship Lands) = 96,013,646

Acres of land less than fee title = 3,775,246

Acres of wetlands = 45,677,973

Number of management units = 632 (includes 545 refuges, 37 wetland management districts, and 50 coordination areas)

Number of Wilderness areas = 75

Acres of Wilderness = 20,698,845

Miles of rivers within the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System = 1,051

According to the study:

...nearly 37 million people visited national wildlife refuges in 2004, creating almost 24,000 private sector jobs and producing about $454 million in employment income. Additionally, recreational spending on refuges generated nearly $151 million in tax revenue at the local, county, state and federal level.

Again, as I've demonstrated in this series, this report shows that ecotourism is a massive portion of our national economy. More importantly, for many communities, that ecotourism is what keeps them alive. Lets take a look at one specific example from the report:

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

Description

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939. The refuge encompasses 665,400 acres of pristine desert that is home to the desert bighorn sheep and the California fan palm, the only native palm in Arizona. Bighorn sheep are found chiefly in the two mountain ranges that dominate the refuge landscape - the Kofa and Castle Dom Mountains. Although these mountains are not especially high, they are extremely rugged and rise sharply from the surrounding desert plains, providing excellent bighorn sheep habitat. A wide variety of plant life is found throughout the refuge.

Area Economy

The Kofa NWR is located in La Paz and Yuma counties in southwestern Arizona. The area had a population of 190,300 in 2003, an increase of 35.9 percent from 1993, compared with a 37.2 percent increase for the state of Arizona and a 12 percent increase for the U.S. Total area employment increased by 37.7 percent from 1993 to 2003 compared with a 44.4 percent increase in Arizona and a 18 percent increase in the U.S. Per capita personal income declined in the area by 0.7 percent from 1993 to 2003. This compares with a 16.7 percent increase in Arizona and a 15.6 percent increase in the U.S.

Kofa had nearly 50,000 visitors in 2004. Most of these visitors came for so-called "non-consumptive" activities such as nature walks, wildlife viewing, hiking, looking at flowers, etc. Only a small percentage came for hunting. Interestingly, 75% of these visits were by local residents.

Total expenditures were $6.7 million with non-residents accounting for $3.9 million (59 percent of total expenditures). Expenditures on non-consumptive activities accounted for 97 percent of the total, hunting about 3 percent.

That is a significant economic input for a small economy. If you protect it. They will come. AND, the quality of life for area residents is significantly enhanced.

More from the Banking on Nature 2004 report:

- More than 80 percent of retail sales came from people who traveled some distance to get to national wildlife refuges and the recreational opportunities they offer. Local residents accounted for just 17 percent of total retail sales to refuge visitors.

- The Southeast led the Refuge System in economic impact. With nearly 11 million visitors last year, national wildlife refuges in the Southeast created more than $451 million in economic activity and more than 8,500 jobs.

- The report shows a considerable "consumer surplus" of more than $1 billion in 2004. Consumer surplus is a measure of how much more people are willing to pay for recreation than it actually costs them.

In summary, our nation's public lands are a massive economic resource - without trashing them for, say, oil and gas development.  The Conservation Economy is worth far more TODAY than is oil and gas development and other destructive activities on our public lands and is a far better use of those lands.  And that is NOT just for recreation as my other diaries on this make clear.  The Conservation Economy is a sustainable economy that we can pass on to our children and protected public lands are a resource that never stops giving.

Protecting, restoring and maintaining public lands is vital for the economies of local communities, states and the nation as a whole.