Sweedens Swamp Case Study
Subject: Economic issues raised by the proposal for Sweedens Swamp
Executive Summary
Sweedens Swamp is a functioning red maple swamp which provides wildlife habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, and amphibians, and provides flood storage capacity, groundwater discharge and water purification. Pyramid 's proposed shopping mall will result in the destruction of approximately 45 out of 49 acres of this wetland. Thirty two acres would be permanently destroyed. Filling Sweedens Swamp would be the largest authorized wetland loss in Massachusetts in at least 5 years. Pyramid has offered to recreate other wetlands on the site. Doing so would result in the at least temporary destruction of 13 of the remaining 17 acres of wetland habitat. However, the mall proposed by Pyramid would provide many jobs to the area and provide tax revenues, making the area potentially more economically stable. Still wetland losses may not be necessary in order to have a quality regional shopping mall.
Economic Issues …show more content…
These “free” services are often taken for granted and can be difficult and very expensive to replace, as wetlands are altered or degraded.
Despite the expense and uncertainty associated with replacing the lost ecological services of wetlands, urban and rural development continues to impact wetlands. Preventing the loss of wetland functions is a challenge, particularly when financial gains for development seemingly outweigh non-market wetland values for the greater community. To address this concern, economic values can be assigned to the important roles of wetlands. This can be done through an economic valuation that aims to make ecosystem goods and services directly comparable to other sectors of the
Executive Summary
Sweedens Swamp is a functioning red maple swamp which provides wildlife habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, and amphibians, and provides flood storage capacity, groundwater discharge and water purification. Pyramid 's proposed shopping mall will result in the destruction of approximately 45 out of 49 acres of this wetland. Thirty two acres would be permanently destroyed. Filling Sweedens Swamp would be the largest authorized wetland loss in Massachusetts in at least 5 years. Pyramid has offered to recreate other wetlands on the site. Doing so would result in the at least temporary destruction of 13 of the remaining 17 acres of wetland habitat. However, the mall proposed by Pyramid would provide many jobs to the area and provide tax revenues, making the area potentially more economically stable. Still wetland losses may not be necessary in order to have a quality regional shopping mall.
Economic Issues …show more content…
These “free” services are often taken for granted and can be difficult and very expensive to replace, as wetlands are altered or degraded.
Despite the expense and uncertainty associated with replacing the lost ecological services of wetlands, urban and rural development continues to impact wetlands. Preventing the loss of wetland functions is a challenge, particularly when financial gains for development seemingly outweigh non-market wetland values for the greater community. To address this concern, economic values can be assigned to the important roles of wetlands. This can be done through an economic valuation that aims to make ecosystem goods and services directly comparable to other sectors of the