Wetland Policy and Urban Growth in the San Francisco Bay Area: Constraints, Conflicts and Consequences

Abstract

California’s San Francisco Bay Area, a metropolitan area located near rivers and sea, has both a high concentration of wetlands and significant infrastructure demands associated with dense urban areas. This paper identifies the wetland restoration plans and policies which dictate the recovery of San Francisco Bay Area wetlands as well as the infrastructure requirements that threaten to degrade San Francisco Bay Area wetlands. We find that recent wetland policy revisions and efforts by government and non-government agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area have been successful in revitalizing wetland restoration. However, urban growth and the need to protect against sea level rise from global warming create infrastructure needs that are constrained by these policy initiatives. We consider the unaddressed policy conflict between the goals of wetland reclamation and the demands imposed by infrastructure needs. We offer insight into how wetland mitigation markets and policies may adapt in response to this conflict

Keywords: wetlands, wetland mitigation, San Francisco Bay Area, wetland banking

JEL Classification: Q20, Q28, Q57