Publication
Farmer willingness to implement constructed wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin
Authors
Cole Soldo, former Master's Student, School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR)
Robyn S. Wilson, Professor, SENR
Hugh Walpole, Postdoc, SENR
C. Dale Shaffer-Morrison, Postdoc, SENR
Quick Take
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have plagued Lake Erie for years. In this region, reducing HABs is necessary to protect ecosystems, avoid impacts on tourism and recreational activities (fishing, swimming), and support beach health. These blooms, exacerbated by activities like fertilizer placement, can make lake water dangerous to wildlife, pets, and humans.
Farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB)—which includes parts of northwest Ohio, northeast Indiana, and southeast Michigan in the Maumee River Watershed—are being encouraged by scientists and lawmakers to voluntarily take part in best management practices to address this problem. How? One way is by constructing wetlands on the edge of agricultural lands. Wetlands can filter out excess nutrients from fertilizers before they reach larger bodies of water, but farmers may be reluctant to take their land out of production to construct them.
Researchers in the School of Environment and Natural Resources surveyed farmers in the WLEB to get an idea of how they feel about converting parts of their land to wetlands. Previous research in other parts of the world showed that many farmers were concerned about the costs associated with constructing wetlands and losing out on profits that could be gained from using that land for growing crops. Do Midwestern farmers have similar concerns, and if so, what can be done to incentivize them?
Results
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Farmers who reported that they were likely to install a wetland tended to be more conservation-minded, have a greater sense of personal environmental responsibility, and perceive wetlands as more beneficial.
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Some farmers responded that being asked to install a wetland was unfair. This belief was positively correlated with lower willingness to install a wetland, more business concerns about wetland construction, feeling less personal environmental responsibility, and perceiving less acknowledgement and support for installing wetlands on their land.
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Those with more productive land, lower off-farm incomes, and lower senses of personal environmental responsibility were less likely to perceive wetlands as beneficial and vice versa.
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The researchers concluded that some farmers may want to build wetlands on their land, but they lack the funding, resources, and support to do so.
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As constructing wetlands becomes more common, the researchers expect more reluctant landowners to be more likely to adopt the practice due to pressure, support, and acknowledgement from peers and family.
What's Next?
The researchers recommend several strategies for increasing the number of farmers willing to construct wetlands on their property, including:
- targeting less productive land
- emphasizing the secondary benefits of wetlands (e.g., hunting opportunities, aesthetics, and income potential), and
- increasing financial incentives, especially for those less interested in conservation and environmental benefits.
The study authors state that future research should focus on farmers who are not particularly conservation-minded and are reluctant to implement these practices. This may help determine how best to incentivize constructing wetlands and what other barriers farmers in the WLEB face when doing so.
Citation
Soldo, C., Wilson, R. S., Walpole, H., Shaffer-Morrison, C. D. “Farmer willingness to implement constructed wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin.” Journal of Environmental Management, November 2022, 321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115928