Stranded capital: environmental stewardship is part of the economy, too

Abstract

The many values that humans place on biodiversity are widely acknowledged but difficult to measure in practice. We address this problem by quantifying the contribution of marine‐related environmental stewardship, in the form of donations and volunteer hours, to the economy of coastal Massachusetts. Our conservative evaluation suggests that marine stewardship activities contributed at least $179 million to the state economy in 2014, a figure that exceeded revenues derived in that same year from commercial finfish operations ($105 million) and whale watching ($111 million), two acknowledged cornerstones of the regional economy. Almost imperceptibly, the coastal economy has been transformed from one dependent on commercial exchange to a diverse economy that includes, to a large measure, marine stewardship. Donations and volunteer efforts are useful indicators of environmental values that can be hard to quantify, and represent one measure of human determination to protect the planet.

A Review of River Herring Science in Support of Species Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration

“…2009), and these activities can have value on par with provisioning services from marine resources (Roman et al. 2018). Regulating services influence or control ecosystem processes.…”

Atlantic Salmon Recovery Informing and Informed by Ecosystem‐Based Fisheries Management

“…This broader context is also warranted given the value of the potential benefits to the State of Maine and the surrounding region (e.g., increased recreational value, increased cultural value, increased ecological resilience; see Roman et al 2018). The rationale for this broader context is supported by current recovery efforts benefiting other species and the recovery of other species benefiting Atlantic Salmon (e.g., predator buffer, habitat conditioning, increased forage base).…”

“…The rationale for this broader context is supported by current recovery efforts benefiting other species and the recovery of other species benefiting Atlantic Salmon (e.g., predator buffer, habitat conditioning, increased forage base). This broader context is also warranted given the value of the potential benefits to the State of Maine and the surrounding region (e.g., increased recreational value, increased cultural value, increased ecological resilience; see Roman et al 2018).…”

Fisheries Volume 44 Number 9 September 2019

“…The rationale for this broader context is supported by current recovery efforts benefi ting other species and the recovery of other species benefi ting Atlantic Salmon (e.g., predator buffer, habitat conditioning, increased forage base). This broader context is also warranted given the value of the potential benefi ts to the State of Maine and the surrounding region (e.g., increased recreational value, increased cultural value, increased ecological resilience; see Roman et al 2018 ).…”