Not just a swamp: Everglades worth $31.5 billion to local economy each year, study finds

Miami Herald, June 19, 2025

Crocodiles, alligators, and destructive Burmese pythons thrive in the Everglades, but a new study shows that the singular ecosystem is also vital to South Florida’s economy, helping sustain millions of people who live around its periphery.

Each year, according to a new report from an environmental advocacy group, the sprawling wetland contributes some $31.5 billion to real estate, tourism, and other sectors of the local economy. Over the next 50 years, that value will add up to more than $1 trillion.

“This really shows that the Everglades are a vital component of South Florida’s economy that brings benefits to all our households,” Paul Hindsley, chief economist at the Everglades Foundation, the non-profit working to protect the ecosystem which co-published the report, told the Miami Herald.

Several sectors were assessed for the new report, including the positive impact the Everglades have on real estate prices, fisheries, and recreation and tourism. The two biggest sectors of South Florida’s economy are also the ones profiting the most from the Everglades: The annual real estate market sees some $9.23 billion in added value, while tourism profits by $8.5 billion, said Hindsley, who co-authored the report along with colleagues from the Everglades Foundation and Earth Economics, a nonprofit that specializes in calculating the economic value of nature.

Previous studies have already shown that projects to restore the Everglades bring a 4 to 1 return on investment, a vital argument, Hindsley said, pointing to the massive benefits to real estate as a key example.

Read the full Miami Herald article at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article308917820.html