The VA Coastal Zone Management Program, NOAA, and George Mason University have released a study about the economic impact of conserved lands in Accomack and Northamton counties.
Download the full study here: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Portals/0/DEQ/CoastalZoneManagement/FundsInitiativesProjects/task10-01-14.pdf?ver=2017-08-07-151312-817
A study released in July 2017 from George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis and Urban Analytics, Inc., highlighted the positive impact conserved land has on the economies of both Northampton and Accomack Counties in Virginia. The study was commissioned by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Zone Management Program to inform decision-making at the county and state levels.
The study shows conserved lands on Virginia’s Eastern Shore were associated with more than $230 million in economic activity in the region in 2016. The study looked at three sources of economic activity — organizations involved in land conservation; the aquaculture industry; and tourism focused on outdoor recreation.
Out of the 133,000 acres of protected land on the Eastern Shore, 33,000 acres are owned by the Conservancy and another 13,000 acres are protected by conservation easements held by the Conservancy on privately owned land. Each conservation easement is individually tailored to meet a landowner’s needs by protecting specific conservation values such as water quality, wildlife habitat, and farmland.
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