Experts Say Coast and Estuaries Contribute Billions to Economy, But Much Is At Risk

New report from Restore America’s Estuaries and The Ocean Foundation shows high economic value of coasts and estuaries at jeopardy without restoration and protection.

5/21/08 news release on Restore America's Estuaries' economic report

Washington, D.C. May 21, 2008

At the National Press Club today Jeff Benoit, President of Restore America Estuaries and Dr. Linwood Pendleton, of The Ocean Foundation’s Coastal Ocean Values Center, announced the results of a recent report documenting that coastal areas of the United States generate an economic value in excess of hundreds of billions of dollars.

“The productivity of our coastlines is up there with the Fortune 500’s” said Benoit. “Yet historically, we have overlooked the critical role our coasts play in contributing to the national economy.”

According to the report, “The Economic and Market Value of Coasts and Estuaries: What’s At Stake?” U.S. coasts and estuaries that have been protected and managed in a sustainable way are worth billions. Beaches, coastal communities, ports, and fragile bays are economic engines that drive and support large sectors of the national economy. The report focuses on aspects of coasts and estuaries that are most dependent on ecologically healthy conditions. The authors also examined a growing body of research that reveals the economic consequences of environmental change in coastal and estuary ecosystems.

The estuaries and coasts comprise only 13 percent of the land area of the United States, but are home to 43 percent of the population. In addition, 40 percent of the population works in coastal areas, and the coasts produce a staggering 49 percent of the economic output. In eight coastal states, the estuary regions comprise 80 percent or more of the state’s economy.

The report highlights the need for a national investment in protecting and restoring vital coastal environments to help grow America’s employment, tourism, trade capabilities, and recreational and commercial fisheries.

According to the report, Puget Sound has the highest per capita employment rate out of the 21 continental U.S. estuaries.

“It is now more imperative than ever to pursue a national investment to restore and protect our state's coasts and estuaries,” said Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of People For Puget Sound and Board Member of Restore America’s Estuaries. “That investment has be made in Puget Sound where the Puget Sound Partnership is charged with bringing our estuary back to health by the year 2020.”

People For Puget Sound, located in Seattle, WA, is one of eleven community-based conservation organizations that comprise Restore America’s Estuaries.

“The findings, compiled by a panel of internationally renowned experts, just scratch the surface in our understanding of the value of coasts and estuaries” said Pendleton “It’s astonishing. In this report we focus only on those sectors of the economy that depend on ecologically healthy coasts and estuaries, and still the numbers are huge. We are only now coming to grips with the enormity of the economic value and potential from sustainable uses of our coastal resources, and more importantly, the potential economic losses we suffer each year because of underinvestment in coastal protection and restoration.”

Findings documented in the report include values gained from healthy coasts, such as:
* Beach going in the United States may contribute up to $30 billion annually in economic wellbeing to Americans; and
* Recreational fishing along the coasts could contribute between $10 billion and $26 billion per year in economic wellbeing.

The report also identifies the threats and costs associated with damaged ecosystems that could be restored:
* 45% of America’s petroleum refining capacity is at risk due to wetland loss in the Gulf of Mexico; and
* Dredging in U.S. waterways, often a result of deteriorating environmental conditions, costs the economy nearly $600 million annually.

The report, available through Restore America’s Estuaries’ website, is the first step in a longer-term effort by the organization to make the economic value of restoration a more integral part of coastal planning and management. Restore America’s Estuaries and The Ocean Foundation’s Coastal Ocean Values Center have embarked on new research with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Restoration Center to develop methods to quantify the economic returns from coastal restoration with a pilot project set to begin in Southern California’s Santa Monica Bay this June.

This project was made possible through funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Minerals Management Service, The McKnight Foundation, and National Wildlife Federation.

To learn more about this report contact:

Jeff Benoit (703) 524-0248
Dr. Linwood Pendleton (805) 794-8206

Restore America’s Estuaries is a national alliance of community-based conservation organizations from the East, West, and Gulf coasts with a mission of preserving the nation’s network of estuaries by protecting and restoring the lands and water essential to the richness and diversity of coastal life. Members include: American Littoral Society; Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Conservation Law Foundation; Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana; Galveston Bay Foundation; North Carolina Coastal Federation; People For Puget Sound; Save The Bay - Narragansett Bay; Save San Francisco Bay Association; Save the Sound – A program of the CT Fund for the Environment; and Tampa Bay Watch. Restore America’s Estuaries is organizing the 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, October 11 – 15, 2008, in Providence, Rhode Island. Logon here for more information.

The Ocean Foundation’s Coastal Ocean Values Center is a research center dedicated to helping local, national, and international coastal managers find, analyze, and use economic information to promote coastal restoration and sustainable use. Logon here for more information.

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