An Exploration Into the Economic Impact of Industrial Development Versus Conservation on Western Public Lands
- 1 March 2006
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Society & Natural Resources
- Vol. 19 (3), 191-207
- https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920500460583
Abstract
A persistent debate in the Western United States concerns the economic role of federally managed public lands. This article investigates how different public land management regimes, ranging from wilderness to resource extractive uses, impact the growth of county economies. The findings show that natural amenities on public lands, in the form of permanent protected designations, can play a role in stimulating economic growth for some types of counties. Rural counties that are connected to population centers via air travel are most suited to take economic advantage of protected public lands. Education levels of the workforce, the presence of an airport and ski resort, and the percentage of the workforce employed in engineering, finance, architecture, and other producer services are also strong determinants of growth. The results of this article will help inform policy discussions by placing the role of wilderness, national parks, and other protected lands into a larger context of economic development.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Spatial Patterns in the Economic Development of the Mountain WestGrowth and Change, 2006
- Environmental Protection, Population Change, and Economic Development in the Rural Western United StatesPopulation and Environment, 2003
- Ecological Causes and Consequences of Demographic Change in the New WestBioScience, 2002
- Spatial Patterns of Migration and Income Change in the Mountain West: The Dominance of Service-Based, Amenity-Rich CountiesThe Professional Geographer, 2001
- The Effect of Federal Wilderness on County Growth in the Intermountain Western United StatesJournal of Regional Science, 1998
- Economic Development and the Conservation of Large CarnivoresConservation Biology, 1996
- Travel-Stimulated Entrepreneurial MigrationJournal of Travel Research, 1995
- Ecosystem Preservation and the Economy in the Greater Yellowstone AreaConservation Biology, 1991
- How important is wilderness? Results from a United States SurveyEnvironmental Management, 1991