Economic valuation of the ecological response to hydrologic restoration in the Greater Everglades ecosystem

Abstract Economic analyses incorporating ecological and hydrological benefits are useful in guiding and justifying large and complex environmental restoration programs. The Greater Everglades region in Florida, USA is a large area of freshwater and estuarine wetlands adjacent to dense human populations undergoing an extensive restoration effort. Six Everglades restoration scenarios were modeled involving combinations of decompartmentalization (removal of canals and levees), extent of seepage control, and volume of water storage (296–3084 million m3)—all core components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Under these scenarios, we simulated changes in ecological indicators across the Everglades, including Everglade snail kites and apple snails, wading birds, American alligators, and spotted seatrout. We also evaluated reductions of harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries in each scenario. Results were structured as options in a willingness-to-pay survey to aid in quantifying the benefits of restoration. Overall, we found Everglades restoration would increase ecosystem service benefits by $1.18 billion to $1.53 billion annually. A moderate amount of water storage improved ecosystem service benefits for Everglade snail kites and apple snails, American alligators, and wading birds, but additional storage led to equal or reduced benefits. For discharge reduction and spotted seatrout, ecosystem service benefits increased in proportion to the volume of water storage. Moderate water storage (1850 million m3) led to the greatest total ecosystem service benefits for the entire region, while the highest water storage volume led to the greatest benefits for specific Everglades regions like Florida Bay, St. Lucie, and Caloosahatchee estuaries. These results demonstrate the importance of economic valuation in estimating the potential ecosystem service benefits from large-scale environmental restoration and as a decision-support tool for prioritizing projects.