Valuing ecosystem and economic services across land-use scenarios in the Prairie Pothole Regions of the Dakotas, USA
Ecological Economics
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Abstract
This study uses biophysical values derived for the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North and South Dakota, in conjunction with value transfer methods, to assess environmental and economic tradeoffs under different policy-relevant land-use scenarios over a 20-year period. The ecosystem service valuation is carried out by comparing the biophysical and economic values of three focal services (i.e. carbon sequestration, reduction in sedimentation, and waterfowl production) across three focal land uses in the region [i.e. native prairie grasslands, lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve and Wetlands Reserve Programs (CRP/WRP), and cropland]. This study finds that CRP/WRP lands cannot mitigate (hectare for hectare) the loss of native prairie from a social welfare standpoint. Land use scenarios where native prairie loss was minimized, and CRP/WRP lands were increased, provided the most societal benefit. The scenario modeling projected native prairie conversion to cropland over the next 20 years would result in a social welfare loss valued at over $4 billion when considering the study's three ecosystem services, and a net loss of about $3.4 billion when reductions in commodity production are accounted for.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Valuing ecosystem and economic services across land-use scenarios in the Prairie Pothole Regions of the Dakotas, USA |
| Series title | Ecological Economics |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.04.010 |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publisher location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Ecological Economics |
| First page | 1715 |
| Last page | 1725 |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Dakota;South Dakota |
| Other Geospatial | Prairie Pothole Region |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |