Nature’s value in the Colorado River basin
understanding the scale of value provided
by the landscape of the Colorado River Basin
This ecosystem services valuation was the first comprehensive economic analysis of the entire Colorado River Basin, a 249,000 square mile region spanning across mountains, plateaus, and low-lying valleys of the American Southwest. Colorado River Basin ecosystems provide a suite of ecosystem services that includes water supply, flood risk reduction, and recreation. The analysis highlighted the importance of engaging water utilities stakeholders, as the Basin's ecosystems provide between $56.5 billion and $466.5 billion in economic benefits every year.
Whether land is in private or public ownership, that value—in the form of water supply, flood risk reduction, recreation, and other benefits—is distributed across the landscape. The economic vitality of communities depends upon it. Healthy natural systems provide vast economic value, and investing in natural capital provides a high rate of return. Understanding the scale of value provided in the Colorado River Basin provides incentive for investing in healthy landscapes, healthy rivers, and healthy communities.
*This report was edited in 2016 to reflect updated water use data. In 2017, we added an addendum, The Benefits and Costs of Snow in the Upper Colorado Basin, which is also available as a stand-alone report.