Case Study: a large U.S. wildlife non-profit organization achieves $39 billion in ecosystem service value with Mather Economics

Large U.S. Wildlife Non-Profit Organization - Customer Case Study

Mather Economics worked with a large U.S. wildlife non-profit organization on a challenge in Louisiana, where severe coastal erosion and land loss threatened wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide. The organization wanted to understand the economic value of restoring coastal ecosystems and how the state’s master plan could help reduce future losses.

Mather Economics used literature review, expert interviews, site visits, and economic modeling to estimate the benefits of the coastal restoration plan across services such as storm surge attenuation, fishing, tourism, habitat, freshwater availability, navigation, and water quality. Mather Economics estimated the present value of improved ecosystem services at about $39 billion, with an upper bound of $58 billion, versus $27.6 billion in project costs, producing an estimated 42% return on investment and supporting implementation of the plan.