Did you know New England’s forests provide health benefits valuing hundreds of millions of dollars per year?
Or that wetlands play a pivotal role in storing carbon?
Our Shaping the Future of Your Community program has created a new set of resources on the many benefits that natural areas provide to people, also known as ecosystem services.
Our five “Value of Nature” fact sheets—which highlight Forests, Coastal Areas, Wetlands & Waterways, Grasslands & Farmland, and Urban Green Space—take a deeper look at the importance of our ecosystems for human health and the economy.
Based on a literature review of over 100 technical papers, they provide easy access to facts and figures on the importance of protecting natural spaces.
They also demonstrate why nature-based solutions are often the best choice when addressing problems like flooding and poor air quality within communities—problems that are increasingly pressing in the face of climate change.
These five fact sheets are part of a larger project focused on the Narragansett Bay Watershed that includes information on the economic valuation of 13 key industry sectors compiled by the University of Rhode Island, and a water quality modeling study in the Bay by Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project.
Explore all five fact sheets and work by our project partners at massaudubon.org/valueofnature!