Economic Benefits and Jobs Provided by Delaware Watersheds
Date
2012-01-31
Authors
Corrozi Narvaez, Martha
Kauffman, Gerald
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Abstract
The water, natural resources, and ecosystems
contained in Delaware’s watersheds are an economic
engine for the state. These resources provide
tremendous economic value to the state and the
surrounding region. This report examines that value
in three distinct ways:
• Economic value directly related to Delaware’s
water resources and habitats—Using economic
activity as a measure of value, Delaware
watersheds contribute over $6 billion in annual
economic activity from water quality, flood
control, water supply, fishing and wildlife viewing,
recreation, agriculture, ports, forests, and parks.
• Value of the goods and services provided by
Delaware’s ecosystems—Using ecosystem goods
and services as a measure of value, the ecosystems of
Delaware provide $6.7 billion annually in goods and services in 2010 dollars, with a net
present value of $216.6 billion calculated over a 100-year period.
• Employment related to Delaware’s water resources and habitats—Using employment as a
measure of value, Delaware’s water resources and habitat directly and indirectly support over
70,000 jobs with over $2 billion in wages annually. This does not include the thousands or,
perhaps, millions of jobs in companies and industries that rely on Delaware’s waters for their
industrial and commercial processes.
Description
prepared for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Keywords
economic benefits , jobs , Delaware , watersheds , basins , Chesapeake Bay , Inland Bays , Delaware River , Atlantic Ocean , economic value , ecosystems services , market value , non-market value