I am joining the NNA1 chapter entitled Nature and the Economy as one of the chapters author and graphic lead.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program is National Nature Assessment (NNA1). The diverse team that will number over 150 experts was selected by the 11 NNA1 chapter leads in consultation with federal leadership, based in part on a public call for author nominations. With the full author team in place, the writing phase of the NNA1 is now kicking off.
Over the next two years, NNA1 authors will take stock of what nature provides to us in terms of its inherent worth, our culture, health and well-being, jobs and livelihoods, and safety, and more, while looking ahead to understand how these benefits might change in the future. #NNA1
Related Links:
• Read a blog by NNA1 Director Phil Levin, “A Nature Imperative on Earth Day,” for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
• NNA1 is also mentioned in the Presidential Proclamation on National Park Week, 2024

Land Economics The Instagram Effect: Is Social Media Influencing Visitation to Public Land?

Public lands in the United States have recently experienced significant increases in visitation. Journalists and park managers suggest Instagram as a reason for the increase. We explore this issue in the Oregon State Park system by combining visitation data with park-specific georeferenced content and engagement indicators from Instagram. Using several empirical specifications, we show suggestive evidence that Instagram is not likely correlated to increased visitation everywhere, but only in a few locations generating high user participation within the app. We find no contemporary effect and a positive association with cumulative Instagram engagement indicators on visits at this subset of parks.