Valuing ecosystems and economic services across land-use scenarios in the Prairie Pothole region of the Dakotas
Date
2010
Authors
Gasciogne, William R., author
Hoag, Dana, advisor
Koontz, Lynne, committee member
Loomis, John, committee member
Goldstein, Josh, committee member
Koontz, Stephen, committee member
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Abstract
This thesis uses biophysical values derived for the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North and South Dakota, in conjunction with value transfer methods, to assess the environmental and economic tradeoffs under different policy-relevant land use scenarios over a 20-yr. time period. The ecosystem service valuation is carried out by comparing the biophysical and economic values of three focal services ( 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 (1 for 1) the loss of native prairie from a social welfare standpoint. Furthermore, land use scenarios in which native prairie loss was minimized and CRP/WRP lands were increased provided the most societal benefit. The scenario modeling projected native prairie conversion results in a social welfare loss valued at over $2.5 billion over the policy period, when considering the study' s three ecosystem services, and a net loss of $1,888,237,567 when reductions in commodity production is accounted for. By quantifying ecosystem and economic tradeoffs of future land use scenarios, this thesis aims to help policy makers and natural resource managers make more knowledgeable, efficient, and defensible decisions.
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Subject
Land use -- Planning -- Environmental aspects -- North Dakota
Land use -- Planning -- Environmental aspects -- South Dakota