Take a look at the map below from the Duke University study on linkages between Gulf Coast ecosystem rehabilitation and the American economy. It shows the geographical distribution of companies participating in dredging, machinery manufacturing, site design, and other industries related to restoration efforts in the region.
Geographers from Duke University's Center on Globalization, Governance, and Competitiveness (CGGC) mapped out the headquarters of 140 firms involved in wetland rehabilitation in Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states. They also pinpointed satellite offices specializing in equipment repair, construction, and site design, bringing the total number of unique locations focused on ecosystem restoration to nearly 400. Note that the number of work sites (391) is less than the total number of places surveyed (449) because of category overlap (Source: Duke University)
What’s impressive is the breadth of Gulf Coast wetland regeneration’s impact on the wider national economy. Take a look at states like Maine and Minnesota. Each one is located hundreds of miles away from the Mississippi River Delta, yet companies like the Bath, Maine-based Bath Iron Works, which manufactures marine vessels, and the Winona, Minnesota-based Badger Equipment, which builds cranes, are both employing workers and generating jobs in their communities because of contracts for restoration work in coastal Louisiana.
Over the next few weeks, we plan to look at some of the regions shown above to see how their businesses are involved in, and could benefit from, Mississippi River Delta restoration efforts. If you happen to work for a firm engaged in beach restoration, habitat cleanup, or some other sector related to environmental work on the Gulf Coast, please let us know in the comments section below. You might just earn a profile spot on our blog.
Related Links
Ecosystem restoration a growing source of jobs [The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)]
How the RESTORE Act could kickstart job growth along the Gulf Coast [Restoration and Resilience]
RESTORE Act fines could provide job opportunities in Gulf Coast, 32 other states [Delta Dispatches]
Restoring the Gulf Coast: New Markets for Established Firms [Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance, and Competitiveness]
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[...] surveyed recently by researchers from Duke University in their study on wetland restoration and its links to the wider economy. From its headquarters in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Weston is changing the way that corporations [...]