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Abstract: Open space is disappearing at an alarming rate, and so are the ecological benefits associated with it including stormwater management, wildlife habitat, and waste assimilation. If municipalities developed a greater understanding of the financial value of ecological resources, more open space may be preserved. Using financial values to assess ecosystems to further conservation at the loca... read morel level is prudent and could be more persuasive than saving land simply for aesthetic reasons. In this thesis, the ecological services being performed on two open space parcels in Stow, Massachusetts were found to each be worth approximately $738/acre/year to the Town. Based on the study, landowners who decide to keep their land undeveloped should receive a property tax benefit similar to GL. c.61A and 61B in order to further promote land conservation within the Commonwealth and accurately portray the financial value of open space.
Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2013.
Submitted to the Dept. of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.
Advisor: Jon Witten.
Committee: Robert Russell.
Keywords: Natural resource management, and Ecology.read less
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