摘要：Coastal wetland loss has been a major problem in Louisiana, exceeding 1.2 million acres over the last century alone. Although federal, state, and local efforts have attempted to combat this loss from a public perspective, little has been done to encourage private landowners to maintain and protect their coastal lands. This paper investigates the factors that influence private landowners to invest in coastal wetland restoration and maintenance activities in Louisiana. We surveyed private coastal landowners to determine their general socioeconomic characteristics, attitudes toward risks, attitudes toward wetland conservation, current uses of landholdings, and previous investments in wetland restoration and maintenance projects. Using this survey data, an econometric model was estimated to determine how various factors could influence the probability and the level of investment in coastal restoration. Preliminary results show that property size, attitudes toward wetland restoration and maintenance, land use, and degree of risk aversion are important factors in a landowner’s decisions to invest in wetland restoration and maintenance.
