Valuing ecosystem and economic services across land-use scenarios in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Dakotas, USA

• Published in: Ecological economics Vol. 70; no. 10; pp. 1715 - 1725
• Main Authors: Gascoigne, William R., Hoag, Dana, Koontz, Lynne, Tangen, Brian A., Shaffer, Terry L., Gleason, Robert A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.08.2011; Elsevier
• Series: Ecological Economics
• Subjects: agricultural land; Benefits; Carbon; Carbon sequestration; Conservation; Economic analysis; Economic valuation; Economics; Ecosystem services; Ecosystem services Economic valuation Value transfer Land-use policy Native prairie Grasslands; Ecosystems; Environmental economics; Grasslands; Land use; Land utilization; Land-use policy; Native prairie; North Dakota; Prairies; Production; Regional analysis; Sedimentation; Social welfare; South Dakota; U.S.A; United States; Valuation; Value; Value transfer; waterfowl; Wetlands; USA, South Dakota; Canada, Saskatchewan, Prairie Pothole Region; Land-use policy; Grasslands; Ecosystem services; Economic valuation; Value transfer; Native prairie
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.04.010
• ISSN: 0921-8009

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.