Year: 2017
Project(s):
Relevance
Oyster reef degradation is an issue in terms of habitat loss, filtration loss and shoreline protection from erosive forces.
Response
Oyster gardening programs in Alabama and Mississippi utilized volunteer gardeners to provide nursery protections to juvenile oysters which were relayed to restoration sites in Alabama and Mississippi. Oyster gardening has been a successful restoration and environmental stewardship program in the Mobile Bay estuary since 2001. Ecosystem services like regulating services and habitat services are secondary benefits from oyster gardening. Documenting these services using valid economic values provides a more accurate representation of the importance of oysters and the role they play in our estuaries.
Results
From 2014-2017, the oyster gardening programs in Alabama and Mississippi produced 237,115 oysters with a mean height of 50.0 mm capable of restoring up to 11.76 acres. The programs included two schools and averaged 52 volunteer sites and 116 individuals (excluding students) each year. The value of this restorative effort exceeded $226,672. Also, the participants’ 9,280 volunteer hours (estimated at one hour per week per volunteer for the season with an average value of $23.73/hour) were valued at $220,214, bringing the total project value to $446,886 for the four-year time period.
Recap
An average of 116 volunteer gardeners per year from 52 sites per year produced 237,115 oysters capable of restoring up to 11.76 acres of habitat valued at $226,672 and a volunteer time value of $220,214 for a total of $445,886 in project value over the 2014-2017 period. (2017)