TITLE
Building the economic case for the preservation of open space: An analysis of the limitations and advantages to utilizing the Benefit-Transfer Method toward natural capital and ecosystem valuation.
AUDIENCE
My primary audience includes local, regional and state urban planners and policy-makers who are considering Benefit-Transfer Methodology (BTM) as a tool to preserve open space and ecosystem services through policymaking and/or political influence. Additionally, environmental organizations and land stewards in California could find value in the conclusions of this report as they deliberate which planning resources to use toward progressing their respective agendas.
Notably, the findings drawn from this report are not exclusive to California and can be helpful to different areas around the United States as they approach land use decisions unique to their jurisdiction. Finally, independent groups who may find this research useful include the environmentally conscious subset of California’s population and certain businesses concerned with the consumption and sustainability of California’s natural resources and the tools available to meet this issue.
BACKGROUND
What is Benefit-Transfer Methodology (BTM)?
Benefit-Transfer Methodology is a valuation tool that estimates the economic value of ecosystem services provided by the natural capital within a study site by applying, and adjusting as needed, original values from a previous study of similar scale . For
In Northern California alone there are roughly 35,000 square miles of rugged, remote, unpopulated wilderness. This land is full of steep sided mountains, canyons and thick forests. Liebig's Law of the Minimum shows
Brooks (EPA), J. Heinrichs (UW), S. McMillin (California Department of Fish and Wildlife) and C. Wilsey (UW). Landuse change scenarios were developed by Jim Thorne and the Information Center for the Environment at UC Davis. The information in this document has been funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It has been subjected to review by the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory’s Western Ecology Division and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for
The framers of the constitution did many things that limited the power of the president by creating impeachment, checks and balances, executive privilege, and allowing the legislature to declare war. However they gave the president too much power because they allow the president to court packing, they allow him to announce important events to the public, and allowing presidents to issue many executive orders. A president must be at least thirty five years old, a natural born citizen, and live in the United states (U.S.) for at least 14 years. The president is allowed to serve four year terms when he or she is elected.
Have you ever heard of the movie High Noon or have you read the story "The Most Dangerous Game?" The movie High Noon was about a sheriff being hunted by a man who had a grudge with him. In the story "The Most Dangerous Game" we follow an expert hunter and how he has become the hunted. Both of these stories have an abundant amount of similarities, but not so many differences. High Noon and "The Most Dangerous Game" have similar characters and plots, but different patterns.
About 60% of the region’s land is protected7. This includes agricultural land, watersheds, and natural and recreational areas7. These “Green Zones” will limit access and help preserve the region’s natural capital. The David Suzuki Foundation proposed a South Coast Conservation Program in order to “conserve and restore at risk species and ecosystems on the British Columbia South Coast”9.
In June 1864 the Yosemite Land Grant was signed by Abraham Lincoln, which deeded 39,000 acres of the Mariposa Big Tree Grove and Yosemite Valley to the State of California (Hawken 40). It was an unprecedented piece of legislation, having almost universal support from private business, environmentalists and Congress. Sparked largely by the de-barking of “The Mother of the Forest”, one of the oldest sequoias in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove, several years earlier (Hawken 39). The Yosemite Land Grant was the first piece of legislation founded on the principle that nature needed to be preserved and protected from humans (Hawken 40). After nearly a century of clearing many forests on the East Coast, affording protection to land on the West Coast was a novel concept.
I care deeply about the planet Earth, the home humans originate from, so it pains me to watch “modern” society devastate natural life across the board. I feel personally connected to the issue of how we use our land. Having lived in the Lee County area since birth, I have noticed just in our own little part of the world how much “development” can change things. There used to be so much more plant life: trees, grasses, flowers and a myriad of other greenery. What was once considered “empty” lots, by some, have been adapted to suit human desires be it additional roads, restaurants, shopping malls, and a continuing spread of “chain” corporate industries. Beyond human structures, huge amounts of land also are cultivated for industrial farming
Environmentalism has always been two sided. Nature versus urban. locals versus national. Frequently, large tracts of public and federal land are bought and developed by industry. Pristine wilderness turned to bustling epicenters of human activity, all in the name of progress and economic growth. This tale of preserving natural wilderness is one that begins with John Muir, an advocate against the taming of Yosemite national park and the Hetch-Hetchy reservoir, while the head of the US Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, insisted on the reservoir to supply the city of San Francisco with water. This timeless epic of conservation or preservation brings us to the Jumbo Valley, a vast expanse of uninhabited, pristine wilderness home to diverse
The California Gold Rush had a positive impact on California’s environment in many different ways, but along with the positives came the negative impacts. In 1848, people flocked to California in hope to make their gold filled dreams come true and strike it big, but with the more people moving to California, the more the population rose, leaving destructive effects on the state’s environment then and for the years to come. California’s physical environment was shaped not only by the influx of people, but also the manmade structures they added and how they manipulated the state’s land to embrace the large population that wasn’t there before the Gold Rush hit.
The future of California is pretty good, for the state is projected to see growth in almost every sector of the economy as well as the population, but there are many concerns that must be addressed first in order to see California’s growth come to fruition. International trade and business is one of California’s largest industries and it’s expected to continue increasing, for many emerging economies are also located off of the Pacific Ocean. Growth in the economy is good, but requires resources that California has a limited supply of. The main resource California always needs is water, since most of the state’s population resides in the southern regions, which are arid and receive minimal precipitation annually. The state is planning on improving efficiency and the aqueduct system to increase the water supply while decrease the environmental effects California’s aqueduct’s have on regions like the San Joaquin River Delta. For many years California has been considered a very liberal and left state, which is due to the fact that the state has the toughest environmental legislation in the country. With such strong legislation ensuring the protection of the environment California has become a model state in the fight against climate change, and must remain vigilant for there are numerous species endemic to the state that are found nowhere else on the planet. Though there are numerous other factors’ affecting California’s future these are some of the most interesting areas to
In Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is influenced by his wife. Three Witches appear and reveal a prophecy, which leads him to complete misery. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife attacks him in verbal ways and causes him to change. Lady Macbeth infuses Macbeth with hatred and builds an ardent desire for power that causes Macbeth to do many unforgivable things. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are so power hungry that they go beyond their boundaries to get what they want.
Because most greenhouse gases would remain in the atmosphere for a long period of time, the temperature of the earth will be continuously rising. If global heat-trapping emissions proceed at a medium to high rate, temperatures in California are expected to rise 4.7 to 10.5°F by the end of the century1. With the rise of temperature, the climate of California would also be changed. California has large area of forest and farmland, hundreds of miles of coastline, large amount of snowpack, and other natural wonders. And these special treasures of nature are especially at risk2. So it is very necessary to understand the strategies of California to combat climate change.
Economic analysis that weighs all costs and benefits of a particular model must include environmental considerations. That is to say, the potential for short-term economic losses caused by conservation in the present, should be measured against the dividends that conservation will pay in the future (Nordhaus, 2007). If the earth is truly our most valuable commodity, then analysis under these conditions should recognize that if a “dollar value” were placed on environmental sustainability, more often than not it would outweigh any initial monetary loss resultant of the implementation of more sustainable practices.
Cost benefit analysis can be used to assist in the decision making of a proposed project. The proposed project is to make a scenic forested area into a national park. However there is controversy as the opposition wants to use the land for timber and agriculture. The first step in conducting a CBA is to identify the costs and benefits of the proposed project (Harris et al 2006). Benefits will include income gained as well as indirect benefits such as environmental benefits. The benefits of a national park are income from tourist and camping areas. The land can be used for carbon sequestration and to reduce pollution and natural disasters such as the effect of flooding. Costs include any direct expenses related to the project such as construction and maintenance costs. Costs also include opportunity costs such as income forgone from the agriculture and timber industries.
It seems as humans evolve and advance, we also use nature to our advantage, and do not use any of our new-found technology to find ways to replenish those supplies which we so willingly take. Today, California is a test of our capability to adapt to human caused climate change. California’s first efforts to adapt started with the Assembly Bill 32 (the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act), which has goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Then the state later drafted its first climate