Abstract
The Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) provides one of the largest sources of U.S. funding for wetland restoration. A preliminary economic analysis of the CWPPRA program questioned the program’s selection of cost efficient wetland restoration projects, specifically related to the funding of barrier island projects, and recommended a more rigorous statistical analysis of the data (Aust 2006). We conducted an analysis to determine what available variables, such as wetland loss, influence CWPPRA project selection for funding. We found that the program was selecting cost-effective projects overall. Cost efficacy varied significantly by restoration project type, with barrier island restoration having the greatest cost/benefit. We present possible justifications for funding these projects despite the higher cost/benefit. This paper will help participants of this restoration program and others in evaluating how projects are developed, evaluated and selected for funding.
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Acknowledgments
We owe special thanks to our statistician Darren Johnson of IAP World Services for analysis and writing revisions. We thank Dr. Margaret Reams, Dr. Rich Kazmierzcak, and Dr. John Westra for assistance, and Rick Hartman, John Foret, Kevin Roy, Lawrence Rozas, and two anonymous for reviews. Funding was provided by the Louisiana Sea Grant and NOAA Restoration Center. Information provided by Kevin Roy (USFWS), George Townsley (NRCS), Allan Hebert (USACE), Brad Miller (LDNR), National Marine Fisheries Service, and others. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
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Merino, J., Aust, C. & Caffey, R. Cost-Efficacy in Wetland Restoration Projects in Coastal Louisiana. Wetlands 31, 367–375 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0145-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0145-z
Keywords
- Barrier island
- CWPPRA
- Policy
- Protection