Summary: Human-made wetlands are recognized as one of the most highly-valued classifications of the habitat, as they are targeted approaches to societal priorities of water quality and flood control (Smeraro et. al. 2015). Constructed wetlands (CWs) then, should be valued as viable tools for improving water quality in the WLEB (Western Lake Erie Basin) and installed in productive catchment points for non-point source pollution (primarily N and P). Many of these wetlands will likely need to be installed on private lands, and as such, it will be important to measure private landowner’s willingness to adopt this conservation measure and simultaneously identify potential barriers to this adoption. We propose a survey and embedded choice experiment for the WLEB to study private landowner support for CWs and what type of payment/program structure would be necessary to ensure adequate participation. The results of this study would highlight pathways for successful adoption, determine barriers to participation and the cost of strategicially placed CWs in the WLEB.
Additional details available in the following report: Using Constructed Wetlands to Address Water Quality Challenges: An Analysis of Farmer Willingness to Adopt Edge-of-Field Conservation Measures in the Western Lake Erie Basin
Funding provided by The Nature Conservancy
Publications
Soldo, C., R.S. Wilson, H. Walpole, and C.D. Shaffer-Morrison. 2022. “Farmer Willingness to Implement Constructed Wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin”. Journal of Environmental Management, 321: 115928.
Ashenfarb, M.*, Shaffer-Morrison, C. D.*, Wilson, R., Marquart-Pyatt, S., & Epanchin-Niell, R. 2024. Social targeting conservation subsidies in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Journal of Environmental Management, 371, 123103.