Green Accounting Bibliography Entry
"Value of Ecosystems," New York Times, Letters, 23 March 2002, p. A26. [full text]
Letter to the Editor by Sam Hitt, Executive Director of the Wild Watershed in response to a news article on "U.S. Acts to Shrink Endangered Species Habitats": Instead of caving in to West Coast developers, the Bush administration should thoroughly evaluate the economic advantages of protecting the habitats of endangered species. Flood control, water purification, waste recycling and maintaining wild pollinators are just a few of the ecosystem services provided by undisturbed habitats. Economists put the value of clean water alone in the billions of dollars. When watersheds are stripped and paved over, downstream users must pay for water filtering and washed-out bridges and roads. If endangered species habitat was properly valued, not one acre would be lost to short-sighted development.
Posted by Gernot Wagner on 3/23/2002. 