60. Linder, R.L., and D.E. Hubbard. 1982. Wetland values in the prairie 

 pothole region of North America. Pages 27-39 in Proceedings of the Great 

 Plains Agricultural Council, No. 5. [Held in North Platte in June, 1982]. 

 Lincoln, Nebraska. 



This is a remarkable piece of work in that it presents no formal economic 

 data, but the authors communicate the political and rhetorical persuasive force 

 of economic analysis. Thus there is no doubt that all of the wetlands functions 

 discussed have positive marginal social value; Linder and Hubbard clearly 

 understand the usefulness of demonstrating this point. 



Hammack and Brown (see [10]) show that provision of breeding habitat for 

 migratory waterfowl has a positive social marginal value product. Their work 

 is one of many cited by Linder and Hubbard in their useful and extensive 

 bibliography. Linder and Hubbard provide some quantitative biological data and 

 much qualitative data that supports their contention that prairie pothole ponds 

 are important migratory waterfowl habitat. Moreover, the quantity of this 

 habitat type is a limiting factor in the production of ducks and other valuable 

 waterfowl species. Linder and Hubbard also make a case for considering prairie 

 potholes to be limiting habitat (have positive marginal social value product) 

 in the production of such species as wren, blackbirds, white-tailed deer, 

 pheasants, and muskrats. 



Much of the social importance of the hydrologic functions considered by 

 Linder and Hubbard lies in the fact that the underlying critical hydrologic 

 relations seem to be roughly linear (as a function of the areal extent of the 

 regional wetland acreage). Therefore, the social marginal value product of the 

 functions is, roughly, a positive constant. These include flood amelioration 

 and prevention, groundwater storage, and groundwater retention. An important 

 social corollary of the groundwater retention function is that undrained wetlands 

 can support vegetation during protracted droughts that wipe out other sources 

 of livestock feed. The wetland vegetation from undrained on-farm wetlands can 

 be used as forage for livestock during periods of drought because of the 

 remarkable groundwater retention and storage functions provided by certain of 

 these wetlands. Linder and Hubbard do a noteworthy job of reviewing and 

 condensing the relevant literature. But more research is needed to impute dollar 

 values to the various hydrologic functions. 



61. Bowers, J.K. 1983. Cost-benefit analysis of wetland drainage. 

 Environment and Planning (A) 15:227-235. 



The author argues that proposed social investments in wetland conversion 

 projects in England have been the subject of seriously defective cost-benefit 

 analyses that overstate the benefits of private and social investment in wetlands 

 conversion and drainage, and grossly understate the costs. The projects include 

 public investment for flood protection on the Yare, Parrett, and Prue River 

 basins. The projects would raise the profitability of private drainage 

 investment in the three basins. 



First, no amenity benefits to wetlands preservation are deducted from the 

 gross stream of market receipts from the private use of the drained wetlands. 

 These benefits are a social opportunity cost of development and must be deducted 



48 



