STARKVILLE, Miss. - Daniel Petrolia, a Mississippi State University agricultural economist, is working with colleagues from The Nature Conservancy to analyze the value of coastal restoration projects along the shores of Alabama and Mississippi. Petrolia and TNC's Judy Haner and Thomas Mohrman have been awarded a Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant project to compare the dollar amount invested and benefits in coastal restoration projects. The study’s scope, due in January 2024, includes major restoration projects implemented between 2015-20. Ecosystem services in coastal communities include fish and seafood, water purification and erosion control, and tourism and recreation. Natural disasters threaten ecosystem services and communities have an ongoing need for these projects to bring fragile ecosystems back into balance. The 2-states' coasts have seen several projects to long-standing issues, such as chronic flooding and disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, he said. The intangible value is evident but little study has been done to put a dollar valuation on restoration projects. The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium is one of 34 national Sea Grant programs administered by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. It is a federal/state partnership that matches NOAA Sea Grant expertise and resources with state academic institutions. (Source: MSU 06/21/22)
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