Economic contributions of wildlife watching recreation expenditures (2006 & 2011) across the U.S. south: An input-output analysis

Non-consumptive wildlife recreation is a popular activity for many people and its importance to the U.S. economy is gradually expanding. In 2011, 71.8 million people participated in wildlife watching activities, spending $54.9 billion in equipment and trip related expenses. This is a 1% increase in participation and a 7% increase in expenditures since 2006. The popularity of non-consumptive wildlife recreation and the associated economic activity provides incentives for wildlife conservation and protection. Periodic assessment of these expenditures and their economic contributions to local and regional economies provides critical base-line information about the importance of wildlife resources to wildlife resource managers and policy makers. Input-output models were constructed for each of the thirteen states in the U.S South2 and used to derive industry output, employment, total income, and value-added for 2006 and 2011 - the latest two National Survey of Fishing Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation surveys. This approach provided an initial comparison of the relative importance of non-consumptive wildlife recreation across the region and over time. Expenditures by wildlife viewers in the South remained flat from 2006 to 2011 but decreased as a share of the national totals. At the state level, wildlife watching expenditures increased substantially in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma but decreased substantially in Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Regionally, wildlife watching related employment fell considerably over the period although there were increases in Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.