The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has just released an economic analysis of restoration through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program and Coastal Program: Restoration Returns: The Contribution of Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and Coastal Program Project to Local U.S. Economies. An executive summary of the Coastal Program piece (with eye-catching graphics) can be found here: Coastal Restoration Returns.
The study finds that for every $1 invested in local projects by the USFWS Coastal Program, $6.86 is leveraged from local and private partners and $12.78 is gained in economic returns. In FY 2011, the Coastal Program invested $2.8 million in projects and $16 million was leveraged from partners. This resulted in $35.6 million in local economic stimulus and 473 jobs created in one year.
In the PFW program, every $1 contributed to a project generated $15.70 in economic return. In FY2011, $18.6 million in funding was leveraged with $142 million, for a total of $161 million. The overall PFW program economic stimulus in FY2011 amounted to $292 million and 3,500 new jobs.