Massachusetts Audubon Society

In 2003, SIG used the NaturalAssetstm Information System to provide the Massachusetts Audubon Society with a reliable estimate for the economic value of environmental goods and services in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SIG research team used the NaturalAssetstm Information System to perform a value transfer analysis using the best available peer-reviewed data on ecosystem goods and services to produce a Results were published in Chapter 6 of the final Losing Ground: At What Cost? November, 2003

Using the NaturalAssetstm Information System , SIG showed that undeveloped land in Massachusetts provides over $6 billion in ecosystem services annually, with 85 percent of this value provided by land left largely in its natural state. Conversely, the loss of forest and agricultural land in the 1985 to 1999 period resulted in a $200 million annual loss in ecosystem value. This information can now be used by the client to develop policies and make decisions with information that was previously unaccounted.

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