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Puget Sound offers a perfect application for ecological economics given the significant potential to realize otherwise overlooked, undervalued or foregone ecological, social and economic benefits produced by the Puget Sound ecosystem.
This opportunity is most explicit in areas such as Commencement Bay, the lower Duwamish waterway and Bellingham Bay where toxicity compels ecosystem restoration.
There are over 20 designated Superfund sites in these areas and many more in adjacent counties and watersheds that flow into Puget Sound.
Point-source and non-point source pollution and widespread incidents of habitat fragmentation and loss contribute to growing “dead zones” that reduce the overall value of what would otherwise be a diverse and healthy marine ecosystem.
Our team of leading ecological economists has considered 23 ecosystem services in estimating that near-shore habitats alone produce an annual value of over $140,000/acre.
This estimate falls short of the total potential realized value due to ecosystem contamination and fragmentation.
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| City of Tacoma |
Port of Tacoma |
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| San Juan Islands |
Orting, Washington |
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| Orca – The "Killer Whale" |
Belted Kingfisher |
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