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Integrated Economic-Hydrologic Modeling for Examining Cost-Effectiveness of Wetland Restoration Scenarios in a Canadian Prairie Watershed

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Abstract

This study develops an integrated economic-hydrologic modeling to examine cost-effectiveness of wetland restoration scenarios in the 75-km2 South Tobacco Creek watershed in the Canadian prairie region. The modeling results show that spatial variations of wetland restoration costs are driven by forgone cropping returns while wetland restoration benefits in terms of total phosphorus (TP) reductions are related to wetland drainage area characteristics including slope, soil, and land use, and wetland features such as size, volume, and position relative to the stream network. For a TP reduction goal of 141.1 kg/yr or 4.3 % at the watershed outlet, the spatial targeting scenario based on economic cost to environmental benefit ratios identifies 28.8 ha of wetland restoration costing $3,058.6/yr. The cost ceiling scenario based on minimizing economic costs only would have to restore 80.1 ha of wetlands costing $8,032.6/yr. In comparison, the cost ceiling scenario requires 178.2 % more wetland restoration areas and would cost 162.6 % more than those of the spatial targeting scenario. The study contributes to develop integrated economic-hydrologic modeling to inform wetland restoration decision at farm field scale. The modeling results demonstrate the importance of spatially targeting wetland restoration based on economic cost to environmental benefit ratios in order to achieve cost-effectiveness.

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Acknowledgments

This research is jointly supported by the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program and the Watershed Evaluation of BMPs (WEBs) program in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). We would like to thank Rick Andrews of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Bill Turner, Don Cruikshank, and Kelvin Hildebrandt of Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association, Dr. Mohammad Khakbazan and Cliff Hamilton of AAFC, and Katherine Packman of Alberta Innovates Technology Futures for data support, Terrie Hoppe and Brook Harker of AAFC for administrative support. We would also like to thank Marie Puddister of University of Guelph for designing figures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Wanhong Yang, Yongbo Liu & Adam Bonnycastle

  2. Environmental Planning and Economics Program, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, Edmonton, Alberta, T6N 1E4, Canada

    Marius Cutlac & Marian Weber

  3. Department of Resource Economics & Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1, Canada

    Peter Boxall

  4. Ducks Unlimited Canada, Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba, R0C 2Z0, Canada

    Shane Gabor

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  1. Wanhong Yang
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  2. Yongbo Liu
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  3. Marius Cutlac
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  4. Peter Boxall
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  5. Marian Weber
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  6. Adam Bonnycastle
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  7. Shane Gabor
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Correspondence to Wanhong Yang.

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Yang, W., Liu, Y., Cutlac, M. et al. Integrated Economic-Hydrologic Modeling for Examining Cost-Effectiveness of Wetland Restoration Scenarios in a Canadian Prairie Watershed. Wetlands 36, 577–589 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0768-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0768-1

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