Miami Beach Times cites Earth Economics
Report on the Economic Value of Rehydrating
Coastal Wetlands in Biscayne Bay
Earth Economics’ recent research on the economic value of rehydrated wetlands in Miami, Florida was recently cited by the Miami Beach Times. The report, Restoring Biscayne Bay, estimates that healthy rehydrated wetlands are worth more than $3.3 billion in ecosystem goods and services.
The article details how Biscayne Bay, the largest estuary on the coast of southeast Florida, connects the Bay’s overall health with Miami’s coastal resiliency. Miami Waterkeeper commented that, “Building resilience includes, but isn’t limited to, increasing protection from storms, ensuring reliable drinking water, enabling continued recreational and commercial fishing, and buffering sea level rise.”
In 2017 The Florida Department of Environmental Protection declared the Bay as an ‘impaired waterbody’ due to high nitrogen levels. The city of Miami has been identified as releasing particulate debris into the Bay - which is contributing to the devastation of seagrass and mangrove habitat. In April the County Department of Environmental Resource Management implemented a deadline to create a correction plan.
Miami Waterkeeper presented their study at the Deering Estate on June 7th, which values the Biscayne Bay at over $3.3 billion, photo courtesy of Miami Waterkeeper.
