Input-output modeling of protected landscapes: The Adirondack Park

Abstract

Change in ownership of large land resources in the northeastern United States is reshaping the economic and cultural landscape. The Adirondack Park of New York State has taken aggressive steps toward land conservation through public land acquisition and private land planning. The State's decision to either acquire more land for protecting open space, to negotiate conservation easements, or to embrace unrestricted development will influence the region's economic structure for decades. These alternative scenarios are explored with an input-output model including land in physical units. Conservation easements are found to have the most potential to meet target objectives without compromising conservation goals.