Abstract or Summary
Taking the estimated values of goods and services together, the total value of New Jersey’s natural capital appears to be about $20 billion per year (present value $680 billion), plus or minus $9 billion per year (present value $300 billion). The annual value of the services provided by New Jersey’s natural capital is conservatively estimated at between $8.6 billion (present value $288 billion) and $19.8 billion (present value $660 billion). Freshwater wetlands and marine ecosystems have the highest ecoservice values. The annual value of the goods provided by New Jersey’s natural capital is estimated at between $2.8 billion (present value $93 billion) and $9.7 billion (present value $322 billion). Farmland, marine waters, and quarries provide the highest values of goods. In addition to goods and services provided by our state’s natural capital, wildlife-related tourism is estimated to generate about $3 billion of gross economic activity in New Jersey annually. This activity represents about $1 billion of wage and salary income annually or about 37,000 jobs. The jobs are not an additional benefit since the related income is included in the activity figure. Another common benefit measure, namely total value added, which is the annual contribution to New Jersey’s Gross State Product, cannot be determined. The net benefits to New Jersey are probably substantially less than these gross values because some of the spending and the related income flow to businesses outside the state. Nonetheless, wildlife-related tourism plays a significant role in the New Jersey economy.