Economic Ecology™ – Maximizing Economic and Environmental Returns through Floodplain Restoration

Overview

Solving water quality, flooding, and habitat restoration issues are significant challenges faced by many local governments in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond. Solutions and data to meet regulatory requirements and achieve other local priorities often require a significant amount of time and resources. However, viewing landscapes as part of a whole watershed – rather than independent projects – and restoring those landscapes to their natural state, can be more cost-effective than conventional approaches and provide significant economic and other benefits to a community. This course provides an overview of Economic Ecology™, a regional approach to solving water-resource issues that maximize both economic and environmental returns on investment. Successful case studies from the Lititz Watershed in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are used to demonstrate the economic rewards of tackling these environmental issues on a regional scale, specifically through floodplain restoration.

Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Economic Ecology (30 min)

Module 2: Lititz Run Watershed – A National Model (55 min)

Module 3: Lititz Run Watershed – Applying Economic Ecology (35 min)

Module 4: Lititz Run Watershed – Maximizing Economic Ecology (40 min)