We’ve all seen the Instagram pictures of hikers clad in brand-name outdoor gear relaxing in front of picturesque mountain lakes or perching on impossibly angled red rock in all their glory. It’s easy to see that public lands, which include everything from national monuments to national parks and national forests, are beautiful and can provide great photo ops, but what else do they provide?
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The benefits of public wildlands, explained
It’s not just good for the economy to keep public wildlands protected — see why it’s never been more important to preserve these spaces.
Dave Freeman
Money, for one. Each year, outdoor recreation generates $887 billion in consumer spending nationally. You don’t even have to put on Gore-Tex and ford a river to benefit from this huge economic boost — even urbanites who never venture beyond skyscraper views appreciate a few extra dollars in their pocket as people prepare for their adventures.
But the benefits aren’t just economic. Even the simple act of turning on a faucet to pour a glass of clean water often involves public lands, since 66 million Americans get their municipal drinking water from these areas. Read on to learn more about the benefits of these lands.
Public lands provide a huge economic boost.
Studies have shown that counties thrive economically when they have more protected federal lands located in them.
Money talks, and protected public lands are a huge boon for the economy. In addition to providing 7.6 million jobs in the outdoor recreation field, they help local communities thrive. When people come to vacation in these areas, they stay in hotels and campgrounds, eat in restaurants, stock their coolers with beer and ice, and maybe even visit a local museum. If they forget to bring a beach towel and sunscreen, they’ll likely pick up one in a nearby community.
And it’s no secret that people are willing to pay a premium to live near majestic scenery surrounded by wildlife. Studies have shown that counties thrive economically when they have more protected federal lands located in them. They also have greater rates of employment and higher per capita income.
Public lands are a source of clean air and water.
Just filling a glass with tap water often relies on protected lands. National forests provide municipal drinking water for 3,400 communities, serving 66 million people across the country. This water is worth over $7.2 billion per year.
Forests also provide clean air since trees absorb carbon to protect the globe from the effects of climate change. Each year, forests in the U.S. offset 10 to 20 percent of the nation’s emissions.
Public lands are also sacred lands.
Wild lands aren’t just pretty landscapes — for many Native American people, these areas have important spiritual significance. People gather herbs for medicine and ceremonies, collect wood and materials for baskets and clothing, hunt and fish for subsistence, and conduct spiritual rituals.
Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument is so important to many Native Americans that five area tribes joined together to urge permanent protection for their sacred lands. Over the years, vandalism, looting, and even grave-robbing destroyed many sacred sites, and the tribes wanted permanent protection. In order to protect sacred traditions, rituals, tribal cultures, and their way of life, these protections are crucial.
Public lands are helping animals adapt to a changing climate.
As hurricanes ravage the coastline, seas rise, massive wildfires engulf the western U.S., and the world becomes more volatile and unpredictable due to climate change, protected public lands provide refuge for vulnerable animals.
Protecting wide swaths of public lands gives animals the best chance at finding a place they can survive.
With changing climates, migratory patterns are expected to shift in places like California’s Mojave Trails National Monument. Iconic species like bighorn sheep need room to roam, and protecting wide swaths of public lands gives animals the best chance at finding a place they can survive. As temperatures rise, having a higher elevation option with potentially cooler temperatures just might give these animals the edge they need to adapt.
Public lands protect vulnerable wildlife.
While people love to spend time on public lands, they don’t live on them. But animals do. Every animal, from a polar bear to a desert tortoise, needs habitat and space to survive. This space provides protection from predators and the elements, food, the possibility of finding a mate, and space to rear their young.
If they don’t have healthy places to do these essential things, they may not survive. If development occurs in the middle of an important wildlife corridor, like Wyoming’s Northern Red Desert, home to pronghorn antelope, elk, mule deer, and many other animals, conditions may become more challenging for wildlife.
But there’s an enjoyment factor to protecting lands, too.
Some may have private land they can use for camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and canoeing, but the vast majority of Americans turn to protected public lands for outdoor recreation, whether they’re looking to climb knife-ridge peaks in Colorado, paddle the pristine Boundary Waters, or just bring the kids out for a Sunday picnic.
Without these areas, people wouldn’t have places to adventure; without protection, they will lose their appeal. People don’t want to bring their family across the country for a vacation among gravel pits, drilling rigs, and clear-cut forests, or fish in water so polluted they can’t fry up the day’s catch on a campfire.
Protecting the country’s lands has never been more important — and the threats are growing.
For all these important reasons and more, protecting public lands is vital. You don’t even have to spend any time immersed in nature to reap these benefits — though numerous studies say spending time outdoors is good for physical and mental health.
With public lands under attack from the Trump administration and some in Congress who are focused on drilling and mining above all else, it is easy to see that these benefits are not guaranteed to last forever. If people want to retain all the benefits of these lands, including economic benefits, clean air and water, protected sacred lands, climate adaptive landscapes, wildlife, and ample recreation opportunities, it’s become increasingly important to extend protection to these areas.