Ocean and Coastal Economic Studies

The California Ocean Protection Council seeks to maximize the effectiveness of funding spent to protect and conserve coastal resources and to further our understanding of the value that coastal and ocean resources contribute to our local, state and federal economy.    The following studies were supported by OPC to meet these two goals:

• California Coastal and Ocean Investment Study:  The OPC provided $90,000 to the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) to conduct a study on existing state budgets.   The study provided a comprehensive summary of budgets for FY 2005/06 and FY 2006/07.

• Options for Financing Coastal and Ocean Conservation in California:  The OPC provided $49,000 to Redefining Progress to identify potential new funding sources.  The study evaluated a range of fees, taxes, and fines.

• The Economic Value of Coastal Ecosystems in California:  The OPC provided $78,738 to the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis – a program of UC Santa Barbara to evaluate and synthesize methods for deriving the value of ecosystem services provided by coastal marine resources in California.

Additional Related Documents
California’s Ocean Economy Report (July 2005, The National Ocean Economics Program)