Wetlands provide a wide array of benefits to society, including flood mitigation, water purification, climate regulation, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Many of these services flow to others in the community; you don’t need to own wetlands to benefit from the clean water they produce, for example. And this effect is quantifiable: in a new study, my coauthor Charles Taylor of Columbia University and I find that wetland loss imposes a significant burden on surrounding communities. We estimate that converting one hectare of wetlands (roughly the size of 2.5 football fields) to developed land increases property damages from flooding by more than $12,000 per year. The vast majority of this cost is borne by downstream community members who ordinarily would benefit from a wetland’s ability to trap and slowly release water that would otherwise cause flooding. How big is this number? In our study, we calculate that the approximate value of US wetlands to society is $1.2–$2.9 trillion. And that’s just for flood mitigation value; that dollar figure doesn’t account for the many other environmental services that wetlands provide.
So, while landowners certainly have reasonable arguments for determining the use of their own property, the effect of their actions on their neighbors is no small potatoes. And the question over whose benefits take precedence is a hard one to answer, which explains why Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency is awaiting trial in the highest court in the land. But based on the new evidence we present in our study, the court should place significant consideration on how landowners’ rights may infringe on the rights of others.
But another solution is possible. Regulations like the Clean Water Act, which restrict the development of private lands, have an important role to play in conservation—but these types of policies are not the only tools we have. Communities need not get bogged down in the controversy between individual liberties and the collective public good—we can act now to identify the wetlands in our backyard that provide the greatest benefit at the lowest cost and put them in public trust. State parks, hunting reserves, and wildlife refuges can protect wetlands while also providing significant community benefits.
Our study results suggest that, for nearly half of all wetland area in the United States, the societal benefits from reduced flooding that arise within five years outweigh the one-time cost of buying up and conserving a wetland. If communities come together to invest in this type of green infrastructure, they are likely to see a quick return on their investment. If we protect wetlands, then wetlands are sure to pay us back by protecting us.
