Benefits of Wildlife Refuges

The United States' system of National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) contains over 150 million acres of protected lands in over 550 refuges. The American public benefits from wildlife populations that would dwindle in numbers without this protection. In addition, people benefit from these landscapes because they provide clean water, protection from storms, recreational opportunities and because people enjoy knowing that a variety of wilderness habitats exist to benefit present and future generations. A study by UGA agricultural and applied economists serves as a low-cost means for approximating the benefits people receive from NWR wetlands. They considered the four following wetland services: water quality, storm protection, habitat for commercial fish species, and carbon storage services. The study considered wetlands in four contrasting wetland ecosystems found in the Okefenokee (Georgia), Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta (New Mexico), Blackwater (Maryland), and Arrowwood (North Dakota) NWRs. Results indicate that wetlands near large populations and with few adjacent wetlands are among the most valuable. Populations with higher incomes are also likely to place a higher value on wetland ecosystem services. The UGA model also largely agrees with other models that water quality provisioning is often more valuable than flood control and storm protection. Results indicate that the Okefenokee NWR provides the highest annual benefits, Blackwater NWR second highest, Sevilleta and Bosque del Apache NWRs third highest, and Arrowwood NWR fourth highest. These results could be useful, along with other information, regarding which refuges could be expanded to increase the value of public ecosystem services.