CalOceans News

California's outdoor economy thriving

In Sunday’s Los Angeles Times, reporter Hugo Martin wrote on the critical role California’s beaches, mountains and deserts play in the state’s economy. California's vast outdoor assets are at the center of its $95-billion tourism industry, the state's fifth-largest job creator.

At a time when the state budget crisis has necessitated widespread cuts, we’re reminded that California’s iconic natural resources – from Yosemite National Park to Santa Monica Bay – are a significant revenue source worthy of careful management. A full 25 percent of California’s coastline is protected in state parks, and the Marine Life Protection Act is working to create a network of “underwater parks” offshore to extend that stewardship from land to sea.

The LA Times article, as well as several economic studies, remind us that protecting natural areas is a smart investment for the state, and one that can pay both economic and environmental dividends:
      
A National Ocean Economics Program study found that tourism and recreation account for 75 percent of the jobs in California’s ocean economy, and estimates that the intrinsic value of U.S. ocean and coastal resources is more than $100 billion.
      
In Southern California, where a new system of marine protected areas will soon go into effect, more than 80 cents out of every dollar spent by coastal visitors is driven by tourism and recreation (and other “non-consumptive” uses).  Total spending for these activities is more than $115 million each year in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles areas, according to a study by economists Linwood Pendleton and Chris LaFranchi.

From realtors to art galleries, many businesses will benefit from a healthier ocean, and that is why more than 130 business leaders signed a letter to the Fish and Game Commission last October urging timely implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act.  And that is why so many Californians are urging state decisionmakers to keep our State Parks open. We hope you will join CalOceans and countless other concerned citizens in advocating to keep our treasured parks in business, by taking action here.

• Tags:
• ocean economy
• economic benefits of marine protected areas
• underwater parks