WildEarth Guardians

Monday, September 25, 2006
New Mexico's Roadless Areas Worth Tens of Millions Each Year as Intact Natural Ecosystems

The Value of Clean Water & Wild Forests: Economic and Community Benefits of Protecting New Mexico's Inventoried Roadless Areas (A new Roadless Areas report)
Contact: Center for Sustainable Economy

Santa Fe, NM - New Mexico’s inventoried roadless areas on National Forests generate tens of millions of dollars in economic benefits each year in the form of clean water, carbon sequestration, backcountry recreation, game and non-game wildlife, and scenery according to a new, peer-reviewed report prepared by the Center for Sustainable Economy for WildEarth Guardians. Three University ofNew Mexico economists contributed to the report. The report bolsters the case for permanent protection of all inventoried roadless acreage in 143 areas totaling 1,597,000 acres included in Governor Bill Richardson’s petition to the Secretary of Agriculture last May. The petition also included the Valle Vidal as a soon-to-be inventoried roadless area totaling 101,285 acres, togethertotaling 1,698,285 acres. The Secretary has yet to issue a decision on the Governor’s petition and a recent court victory has reinstated the Clinton rule.

“There’s a myth perpetuated by the Bush Administration that protection of roadless forests would hurt rural economies.” said WildEarth Guardians’ Forest Program Director, Bryan Bird. “This report puts an end to the myth by demonstrating that in their natural state, New Mexico’s roadless areasare a source of great economic value. As the Forest Service develops long term plans for our forests and the priceless water they generate, we expect these values will be given serious consideration.”

According to the report, New Mexico’s inventoried roadless areas generate six major economic benefits each year, including:

• $42 million in water quality benefits associated with consumptive and non-consumptive use of the 530,000 acre feet of pure water that flows from roadless lands each year.
• $22 - $24 million in benefits associated with sequestration of carbon dioxide that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere exacerbating global climate change.
• $27 million in benefits generated by non-motorized recreation use within roadless areas.
• $15 - $23 million in personal income generated in communities that benefit from expenditures by recreation visitors.
• $14 million in benefits to New Mexico households who are willing to pay for protection of game and non-game wildlife habitat with roadless areas.
• Up to $1.4 million in benefits to nearby ranches whose property values are enhanced by proximity to high quality game habitat, scenery, and water resources.

“New Mexico’s inventoried roadless areas are precious and unique,” said Joanna Prukop, Cabinet Secretary for New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department. “It makes good sense to protect them and this report underscores the need to preserve our highly sought after outdoor recreational areas that provide not only economic value, but ecological, cultural, social,recreational, and spiritual opportunities for our citizens.”

In addition, the report found that since 1995, counties with significant concentrations of roadless areas outperformed counties without by an average of 1.28% across four key indicators of economic performance including growth in employment, earnings, population, and income. The report appliedvaluation methods used in a nationwide assessment published by the Wilderness Society in 2000 and incorporated a wealth of New Mexico-specific data on roadless area characteristics, water flow, recreation use, and carbon sequestration.

"Protecting roadless areas in New Mexico makes good economic policy because these areas are a unique form of natural capital that will yield significant economic returns to nearby communities, the state, and the nation for generations to come." says Dr. John Talberth, who headed up the research team.

The report was peer reviewed by authors of the 2000 study.

"This is a very carefully done study. It takes a careful approach to adapting the Loomis and Richardson work at the national level to New Mexico.” Said Dr. John Loomis, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University. “It also adds some new original work on the effects of Roadless Areas on county economic performance. The authors have taken great pains to be conservative."

WildEarth Guardians is a regional non-profit environmental advocacy organization that seeks to protect and restore the native wildlands and wildlife of the American Southwest through fundamental reform of public policies and practices.

The Center for Sustainable Economy is a network of university-based researchers, natural resource professionals, and attorneys who provide expert support to non-profits, governments, and businesses in the fields of environmental and economic analysis, sustainable development, and law.Visit the website.

Contacts: Bryan Bird, (505) 988-9126 x157 Joanna Prukop, Secretary EMNRD, (505) 476-3226 Dr. John Talberth Ph.D., Lead Author, (505) 986-1163