Determining the Value of Nature's Services
When speaking with local officials, SVT often explains that conservation has many "co-benefits" with tangible economic values, such as reducing flood risks and improving public health. Thanks to a working group of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC), which was led by SVT, we now have data to support our assertions about the value of nature's services.
The working group partnered with consultant Jessica Sargent from Primrose Research Group to develop a toolkit of materials that anyone can download and use to educate, inform, or advocate for land conservation in their community. We encourage you to take a look at these materials and use them in your own local advocacy.
Resources include a technical white paper that summarizes some of the latest data available for Massachusetts, a PowerPoint presentation that can be customized to address the needs and concerns of individual towns and cities, a User Guide to the presentation, and a one-page summary that can serve as a leave-behind for your audience. We encourage you to take a look at these materials and use them in your own local advocacy.