Economic Contribution Analysis of National Estuarine Research Reserves

Increased attention to the value of protected natural areas has led to the proliferation of ecosystem service valuations for coastal habitats. However, these studies do not provide a full representation of the economic value of these habitats. Protected coastal environments, such as the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), add jobs and revenue to their local communities. Institutions such as NERRS provide economic contributions that extend beyond their operational spending and jobs they provide. Spending by reserves and their partners ripples throughout the economy. We performed an economic contribution analysis at four pilot sites using input-output modeling through IMPLAN. Sites contributed millions in revenue and tens to hundreds of jobs in their respective regions. Each of the four sites had a different category of spending that was the largest contributor of revenue and jobs, which is likely due to the community context and location of the reserves. Understanding these contributions is helpful in validating funding for NERRS. Communicating these contributions along with ecosystem service values may increase support from community members who otherwise do not use or rely on NERRS as much as traditional reserve supporters.

A comparative assessment of salt marsh crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) across the National Estuarine Research Reserves in New England, USA

Salt marsh degradation and loss is accelerating in many regions of the United States as well as worldwide. Multiple stressors are often responsible, sometimes including crab burrowing and herbivory. A recent national assessment identified stark differences in crab indicators between northern and southern New England, with the latter exhibiting intense signs of impacts by crabs, but more details on crab patterns across the entire region are needed beyond this “broad-brush” assessment. Our study used green crab (Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758)) traps, intensive marsh platform burrow counts, and a new multi-metric index of relative crab abundance to examine patterns in marsh crabs across four National Estuarine Research Reserves in New England. Crab indicators from the multi-metric index and burrow counts were higher in southern New England marshes; patterns from trapping of green crabs were less clear. At the marshes examined, green crabs were very abundant in Maine, lower in New Hampshire, and intermediate in southern New England. Our study confirms that abundance and impacts by crabs vary dramatically between sites in northern and southern New England, and provides improved context for managers and researchers when considering impacts to marshes from multiple crab species across New England and elsewhere.