University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Grassland restoration and recreation in the U.S.: Value and relationship to climate change beliefs and impacts

Wells, Kaylee Katherine

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129704

Description

Title
Grassland restoration and recreation in the U.S.: Value and relationship to climate change beliefs and impacts
Author(s)
Wells, Kaylee Katherine
Issue Date
2025-04-22
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Ando, Amy W
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Ando, Amy W
Committee Member(s)
  • Atallah, Shady S
  • Dissanayake, Sahan TM
  • Hutchins, Jared
Department of Study
Agr & Consumer Economics
Discipline
Agricultural & Applied Econ
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Grasslands
  • Environmental Economics
  • Non-market Valuation
  • Travel Cost Method
  • Climate Change
  • United States
  • Prairies
Abstract
Despite the myriad ecosystem services grasslands provide, grassland value in the United States and abroad is understudied. In three essays, I address that knowledge gap. The first uses survey data on grassland visits made by Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota residents between March 2020 and summer 2021 to estimate grassland recreational value. The second uses big visitation data for 16 nationally notable grasslands from January 2019 to April 2022 to estimate grassland recreational value and the causal relationship between weather and demand for grassland visits. I use the causal results to estimate potential future impacts on grassland recreation demand and value under climate change. In the final essay, I use data from a nationally representative choice experiment survey to estimate the value of landscape-level grassland restoration in the U.S. In that analysis, I also explore how providing survey respondents with relevant, accurate information on a politically divisive subject affects value and how that effect depends on an individual's political party affiliation.
Graduation Semester
2025-05
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129704
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Kaylee Katherine Wells

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