Case Study: Tulane University helps Louisiana prioritize coastal conservation with IMPLAN

How One Coastal State Rewrote the Book on Conservation

Tulane University, as part of a research team with the RAND Corporation and Louisiana State University, was engaged by the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to tackle a critical challenge: quantifying the massive economic risk of coastal land loss in Louisiana. The state needed a data-driven method to prioritize conservation projects, moving beyond sentiment to use hard numbers that could justify spending and cut through political disagreement to protect jobs, businesses, and vital national economic infrastructure.

The research team employed IMPLAN's economic input-output modeling application to translate projected land loss into tangible economic impacts. Using IMPLAN, they documented the potential costs to businesses, jobs, and infrastructure across various future environmental scenarios. The study, powered by IMPLAN's analysis, found that direct land loss could put between $5.8 billion and $7.4 billion in business activity and over 8,800 jobs at risk. These compelling economic results were directly cited in Louisiana's updated 2017 Coastal Master Plan, providing the crucial justification needed for the state legislature to unanimously adopt a spending plan for conservation, ensuring funds were allocated to the most impactful projects.

Tulane University

Torbjörn E. Törnqvist

Geology Professor