In 2023, Earth Economics partnered with Delta Land Services and Pachama to value the co-benefits created by the Avahoula Climate Mitigation Project in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of east-central Louisiana. The combination of frequent high-water events on the Mississippi and Red Rivers, and poor soils limit the land’s agricultural value, making Avahoula an ideal site for reforestation and carbon mitigation. The project will restore 7,200 acres to native bottomland hardwood forest, planting approximately 3.5 million native trees and reconnecting natural surface drainage.
The Saline-Larto Lake complex is critical habitat just southeast of Catahoula Lake, a globally recognized Ramsar wetland. Avahoula will expand and connect habitat for many resident and migrating bird species. The project will support up to 12,000 to 23,000 additional waterfowl each year, including ten species whose habitat needs are currently unmet.
The analysis demonstrates that the Avahoula Climate Mitigation Project will provide more valuable ecosystem services than prior agricultural practices, improving resiliency and both social and environmental benefits for local communities. Once fully restored, Avahoula will provide $80 million in annual benefits, protecting $2.7 billion in benefits in perpetuity (discounted at 3 percent). 67,000 Louisiana residents will benefit from the project, including nearby landowners and farmers. 46,000 visitors to nearby wildlife areas and refuges will benefit from the expanded wildlife habitat.
Avahoula is a nature-positive investment. By converting sub-optimal and climate vulnerable agricultural lands to high-quality wildlife habitat, it mitigates climate change impacts and reverses biodiversity losses.
Disaster Risk Reduction | $6.8 million to $47 million per year improvement
Forested wetlands offer protection against natural disasters, absorbing rainfall and reducing flooding. Because wetlands release stored water during dry seasons, they can also delay droughts and minimizing water shortages.
Air Quality | $18,000 to $44,000 per year improvement
Vegetation captures air pollutants such as particulate matter, ozone, and more, which can reduce incidences of adverse health effects from respiratory illness.
Water Quality, Water Supply, and Aquifer Recharge | $7.7 million per year improvement
Forested wetlands help maintain water systems by processing, removing, and sequestering suspended and dissolved nutrients, solids, and other contaminants; enhancing groundwater recharge to aquifers; and supporting agricultural, residential, and industrial water supplies.
Social Value | $20 million to $34 million per year improvement
People derive satisfaction from the knowledge that critical environments have been protected. The willingness to pay for conservation and restoration projects is well-documented, even for lands respondents will never visit.
Pollination and Biological Control | $1.6 million per year improvement
Pollination is critical for food and fiber production. Pollinating insects require suitable habitat to sustain their populations, as do those that suppress pest species that further support local agricultural production.
Habitat | $17 million to $22 million per year improvement
Natural areas provide shelter, food, and living spaces for wildlife. The restoration of the Avahoula site connects the 64,000-acre Dewey Wills Wildlife Management Area and the 17,500-acre Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge.
