Designing local benefits to generate basin-wide gains for Puget Sound
Presentation Abstract
Protecting and improving ecosystems for Puget Sound and the Salish Sea as a whole requires planning and implementation at the basin scale. But individual projects have local opportunity costs and support requirements. So local benefits must be part of project design for long-term success. I review successfully funded and implemented Puget Sound conservation and restoration projects that have achieved this by taking into account local benefits, including non-ecological benefits. These include restoration in the Skagit Delta that also provides benefits to farmers, green stormwater infrastructure in Seattle that provides energy and aesthetic benefits to homeowners and businesses, and levee setbacks along the Green River that provide flood protection and local recreation. These successful projects demonstrate how designing for multiple benefits can bring to bear more resources, including land and funding, than single-objective projects alone. They reveal economic principles and a framework for identifying the types of benefits that can be the difference between success and failure for projects with broad Puget Sound objectives. Designing for, identifying and quantifying benefits in measures that directly relate to local scarcities can be the most efficient, or the only feasible means in some contexts. This approach can not only avoid conflict, but stimulate cooperation and contribution of effort and resources from diverse stakeholder groups. This approach can seem inefficient or even “pork barrel” by utilizing funds for local objectives that are intended for broad goals. But through careful evaluation of cost and benefits and how local behaviors contribute to success or failure, this local approach can generate the most feasible benefit per public dollar spent.
Session Title
Session S-05F: Ecosystem Restoration: Geomorphic Context, Design Considerations, and Success Stories
Conference Track
Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 12:00 PM
Location
Room 602-603
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Restoration ecology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine ecosystem management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Designing local benefits to generate basin-wide gains for Puget Sound
Room 602-603
Protecting and improving ecosystems for Puget Sound and the Salish Sea as a whole requires planning and implementation at the basin scale. But individual projects have local opportunity costs and support requirements. So local benefits must be part of project design for long-term success. I review successfully funded and implemented Puget Sound conservation and restoration projects that have achieved this by taking into account local benefits, including non-ecological benefits. These include restoration in the Skagit Delta that also provides benefits to farmers, green stormwater infrastructure in Seattle that provides energy and aesthetic benefits to homeowners and businesses, and levee setbacks along the Green River that provide flood protection and local recreation. These successful projects demonstrate how designing for multiple benefits can bring to bear more resources, including land and funding, than single-objective projects alone. They reveal economic principles and a framework for identifying the types of benefits that can be the difference between success and failure for projects with broad Puget Sound objectives. Designing for, identifying and quantifying benefits in measures that directly relate to local scarcities can be the most efficient, or the only feasible means in some contexts. This approach can not only avoid conflict, but stimulate cooperation and contribution of effort and resources from diverse stakeholder groups. This approach can seem inefficient or even “pork barrel” by utilizing funds for local objectives that are intended for broad goals. But through careful evaluation of cost and benefits and how local behaviors contribute to success or failure, this local approach can generate the most feasible benefit per public dollar spent.
