The economic value of parks: A framework and preliminary estimate

Abstract

The Parks Leaders Forum commissioned the Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit (AERU) at Lincoln University to design a national infrastructure for collecting, synthesising and analysing data that can be used to create reliable evidence on the various forms in which national, regional and local parks contribute to the economic prosperity and wellbeing of New Zealanders. The study reviews national wellbeing frameworks, methods used for valuing long-term assets such as the network of national, regional and local parks, and existing data sources including previous studies. It then prepares a preliminary estimate of the net present value of the net wellbeing benefits of parks to New Zealand residents over the next eight generations. This estimate is $3 trillion. The analysis that produced this estimate is available as an Excel spreadsheet tool. The study finishes with possible opportunities for future research.