PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Baggio, Michele
AU  - Towe, Charles
AU  - Trüssel, Daniel
AU  - Peter, Armin
TI  - Evaluating the Effects of River and Stream Restorations: Evidence from Recreational Fishing
AID  - 10.3368/le.96.1.75
DP  - 2020 Feb 01
TA  - Land Economics
PG  - 75--91
VI  - 96
IP  - 1
4099  - http://le.uwpress.org/content/96/1/75.short
4100  - http://le.uwpress.org/content/96/1/75.full
SO  - Land Econ2020 Feb 01; 96
AB  - River restorations are increasingly used worldwide as conservation measures and environmental policy tools. Despite their popularity, there is a lack of compelling empirical evidence that river restorations achieve policy goals. Exploiting a unique dataset of fishing trips combined with structural, spatial, and temporal data on restorations, we study the effects of restorations on catch rate, a measurable ecosystem service, and then evaluate the welfare consequences of these changes. We provide robust evidence that restorations lead to persistent increases in catch rates that generate a monetary value of over $600,000 annually for a proposed set of future restorations. (JEL Q26, Q51)