ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an overview of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and its surrounding controversies. It argues that the benefits derived from nature can, under certain circumstances, create mutual gain solutions for both economic and environmental interests. In species protection debates, public opinion is often formed by anecdotes rather than by the substance or objectives of legislation. The attention that the ESA, garners centers on costs to individual landowners and ignores the aggregate economy. To accurately assess the economic impact of the ESA, must step back from individual cases and consider the broad economic context. In the aggregate, the picture is often quite different. Stephen Meyer, director of the Environmental Politics and Policy Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studied the impact of endangered species listings on state economies and the agricultural sector. An accurate appraisal of the costs of endangered species protection should also consider the external effects of individual development decisions.
