Land-use change from oil and gas development has risen dramatically since the increased usage of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in previously inaccessible geologic deposits. When new oil and gas developments are proposed, the presumed benefits to local economies are often touted, while the environmental costs are ignored or discounted. An increasing number of studies document the land-use changes associated with oil and gas development, such as habitat loss and fragmentation. These changes translate to a loss of ecosystem services, including agricultural production, climate regulation, and recreational services.
Results/Conclusions
We propose that the calculation of ecosystem services in areas considered for or under development should become a regular component of the social and political decision-making process. As an example, we highlight the calculation for key ecosystem services for the Fayetteville Shale gas field, which is located in temperate deciduous forest. Our results indicate that over 30 million USD of ecosystem services are lost in this region each year. Our methods can be applied to other unconventional oil and gas locales in a variety of biomes across the U.S.